MQ-25 Tanker drone is giving the increase strike capacity for other drones and manned aircraft

Stingray
(Picture I)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

MQ-25 is a new kind of drone. It is capable to give airborne refueling capacity for unmanned aircraft, and this will give more advantage to naval strike capacity. Normally small drones are so much smaller than normal aircraft, that they can refuel by F/A-18 Hornet fighter, what have the fuel tank with refueling system, but one thing is missing with those systems are one problem.

They cannot wait even for hours or days the aircraft for getting gasoline from tankers. The bigger drones like X-47B needs so much fuel than normal aircraft, and this is the reason, why navy needs the new type of drone tanker. The Hornet's capacity to carry refueling petroleum is, of course limited.

F/A-18 Refuels E-2
(Picture 2)

And that's why in those airborne tank operations needs bigger aircraft than some fighters, what have extra fuel tanks for those operations. The question of airborne refueling is that the refueling aircraft are necessary when navy sends full loaded attack planes in missions, and when the airplane is sending from the aircraft carrier with heavy cargo, it will need refueling immediately after liftoff, because the fuel storage of those fighters is very small.

The problem with full-scale airborne tankers is that they can't operate from aircraft carriers and their trip to the operational area might take hours. And when the petroleum will go down, must those tankers fly to get another cargo of fuel. The airborne refueling aircraft are very good targets for enemy fighters, and that's why the risk of losing those tankers is very high.

Another way is to use smaller refueling aircraft, what can stay air shorter time, but what can fill their tanks from aircraft carriers. That's why some F/A-18 Hornets have this capacity. If the Navy can use F/A-18 Hornets as the refueling aircraft, those aircraft could have also the capacity for air combat and those aircraft doesn't take the room from carriers combat aircraft.

F/A-18F Refuels F/A-18 E
(Picture 3)

The space in the carrier is limited and if some other aircraft must take there, it takes place from carrier main strike force F/A-18 and X-47B. But another reason to build the new kind of tanker for the navy is that the modern airborne tankers need STEALTH-technology for surviving their mission. Many parts of the modern air combat and especially so-called "deep hit" operations are made for STEALTH aircraft and the combat radius of those operations is very long, and if those aircraft will fly in enemy airspace, the normal refueling aircraft will be visible in enemy radar, and that will give warning to enemy, that strike team will come. And that is the reason, why navy needs a new tanker aircraft.

Sources

Picture 1

http://www.portaledifesa.it/repository/imgMail/stingray.jpg

Picture 2

http://www.crviewer.com/targets/060215/060215.htm

Picture 3

https://news.usni.org/2015/08/12/navy-getting-smarter-about-tanking-mission-as-super-hornets-approach-6000-hours

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