Role Unmanned combat aerial vehicle for aerial refuelingNational origin United States
Manufacturer Boeing
First flight 19 September 2019
Status In development
Primary user United States Navy
Boeing's MQ-25 design is powered by one Rolls-Royce AE 3007N turbofan engine delivering 10,000 lbf (44 kN) of thrust; this is a variant of the engine used to power the Navy's MQ-4C Triton. The aircraft is less stealthy than flying wing UAVs. It does feature a stealthy fuselage shaping, flush inlet to shield engine blades from radar, and a V-tail.
In late April 2019, the first MQ-25 test aircraft (T-1 or "Tail 1") was taken by road from Boeing's technical plant at St. Louis's Lambert International Airport across the Mississippi River to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which is conjoined to Scott Air Force Base.] Following taxi tests, the Federal Aviation Administration certified the aircraft and granted airspace for flight testing. The MQ-25 took its first flight on 19 September 2019. In December 2020, Boeing released video showing the first flight of the MQ-25 with a Cobham aerial refueling store externally mounted.?????
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The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft.
On 4 June 2021, the first refueling test was conducted, with the MQ-25 providing fuel to an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
The MQ-25 T1 test asset has flown into the history books as the first unmanned aircraft to ever refuel another aircraft - piloted or autonomous - during flight.
