USN, Boeing demonstrate MQ-25A command and control between aircraft carrier and ground control station

US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan CVN 76 (US Navy)

The US Navy (USN) announced on 19 October Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) connected to and controlled an unmanned Boeing MQ-25A Stingray from over a distance of 2,100 mi.

The USN said a preliminary sea trial demonstrated that the MQ-25A, flown from a test aircraft station at a Boeing facility in Mascoutah, Illinois, could be controlled by the ship's MD-5C Ground Control Station (GCS), beyond line of sight and over large distances.

USS Ronald Reagan was underway in the Pacific Ocean during the test, and connected to the MQ-25A through the ship's Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC), the USN said.

The connection was established through a proliferated low-earth orbit (pLEO) satellite network.

“The MQ-25A Stingray's carrier-based refuelling capabilities enable F/A-18 Super Hornets to fly farther and longer,” Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a USN statement. “The integration of this unmanned aerial refueler demonstrates the transformational change our manned and unmanned asset integration provides the Fleet.” 

The PMA-268 Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program Office, Public Affairs Office told Janes on 22 October that air vehicle pilots on USS Ronald Reagan as well as on the ground in Illinois verified command and control during the test.

The PMA-268 Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program Office, Public Affairs Office said that another component of the flight test programme included “expansion flights using the MD-5 GCS on the ground at the Boeing test facility in Mascoutah, Illinois”.