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As of October 1st, the US Navy’s first ever squadron to operate its future MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based unmanned tankers from Boeing is established.
However, it actually doesn’t have any MQ-25 Stingray combat drones.
It doesn’t expect to fly any more refined prototypes before the end of 2021.
This unit will be focused in the meantime on training personnel to be as ready as possible to operate and maintain those drones when they begin arriving in the coming years.
The Navy first began the formal processing of standing up Unmanned Carrier Launched Multi-Role Squadron 10, abbreviated VUQ-10, in August, according to an official internal notice.
That document says the official establishment date is October 1st, 2020, and that the unit is located at Naval Base Ventura Country in California, which includes Naval Air Station Point Mugu.
A detachment of Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), the Navy’s first MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance drone unit, is stationed there.
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The notice also says that VUQ-10 is assigned to the Navy’s Airborne Command & Control Logistics Wing (ACCLOGWING), which presently oversees the service’s E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound fleets.
The US Navy has, in the past, said that the first two warships that will receive the MQ-25 Stingray drones are the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers – USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS George H.W. Bush.
The squadron will also be heavily involved in the development of new tactics, techniques, and procedures around the operation of the drones and their place in the Navy’s future carrier air wings.
The Navy has said that it expects to buy at least 72 Stingrays, for a total cost of around $13 billion, and that it hopes to reach initial operational capability with the type in 2024.
As of early October 2020, Boeing is under contract to build four Engineering Development Model (EDM) prototypes, the first of which it hopes to deliver in 2021.
The primary mission of the Stingrays will be to providing aerial refueling support to carrier air wings, a role presently filled by F/A-18E/F Super Hornets carrying buddy refueling stores.
The MQ-25 will allow those manned fighter jets to focus on other missions and otherwise reducing the strain on those aircraft. The drones are also expected to significantly increase the overall reach of the carrier’s fixed wing strike aircraft.
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Well done!
A lil small to be a tanker…
It is a common practice, for example there are not a single SU-57 in service, but the Russian Air Force already have trained the personel. The MQ-25 carry more fuel than the F-18 or SU-30 that are used as tankers in Carriers, can refuel 3 airplanes in an attack force
It carries less 7 tons for refuel, it’s enough for internal tanks of 1 F-18E (8000 liters of kerosene or ~6-6,7- tons depending from the mark of kerosene). With external tanks F-18 can carry twice more fuel. Su-30 holds 9,4 tons of fuel inside.
“could add nearly 300 miles of range” https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a18211702/fa-18-super-hornet-longer-legs-fuel-tanks-range/
Its very pregnant. Some 6,8 ton of fuel is not so bad.
It could help Assad crossing Eufrat:)
And make a Dane soldier less gay in the bunker under Iranian strikes
I am no doctor.
I just know Denmark was asked in by the Bagdad Goverment as Nato to help them make good military forces instead of none.
We and several others has done a good job.
I dont remember we are in war against Iran. If Nato was in war with Iran they would have a hard time. We could come to them and they cant come to us.
We would declare war by parashuting pigs every friday, where their gatherings are.
Still less damage than throwing gays from airplanes.
Hardly none will propose anything like that. We have a extreme right wing party which wanted to parashute Somalis back toSomalia.
Somalia has peace in about 2/3 of that big country. Even so those 2/3 will not take the ones from the warzone in the 1/3 near Kenya.
Here we see Somalia is no country, because the reason is those refugees – and emmigrants to here are not denied returning because of tribe.
Thats why Im for Somalia and others should be into more countries. Nearbye it gos for Sudan as well.
Even they have improved a lot here in Denmark after many years, they still has over crime of the worst and also has Sharia regime which is wertical against what Our constitution says, which they shall keep here,
Most Somali men look very much down at women and for non muslim women even worse. The men has more unimployment then other muslims and vomen are kept even more isolated home even the men dont vontribute with jobs. Even so they do revenge and punish women, which by that and other reasons would like to have divorse. I mean How would like to remain at home on lowest wellfare for incommers if You can change it very much by at least the female got a low paid cleaning job.
Budgets can’t be ignored, or the MIC would come crashing down.
US supplies large budget funds for new unit, even though the unit is only at 1% of actual service size. Freedumb and demockery at work, lol.
$13 billion for carrier-based flying fuel tanks? Hey – why the fuck not? Stingray Heh…heh… it sounds badass, Bevis!
If this was a video game, I would give them a thumb’s up. However, no amount of slick PR or ‘demon country of the week’ is going to convince an unemployed, homeless American living in his car in a Wal*Mart parking lot trying to feed his two kids in the back seat. Why not? Because nobody on earth could possibly be a bigger threat to him than corrupt, chickenhawk U.S. politicians in Washington, D.C.. Military defense of welfare states under the guise of patriotism is a real self-licking ice cream cone, isn’t it?
America has already been shithole-ized and traded for a big, steaming bag of shekels. I like to think I’m pretty patriotic, but there is no U.S.A. left for this fucking flying fuel tank to defend. How about $13 billion to the American people for some fucking WOODCHIPPERS, Washington? We could damn sure put them to good use to defend the U.S. [Please ensure the woodchippers can run on JP-8 so we can put your flying fuel tanks loads to good use. Thank you.]
I dont think the main problems are, where You think they are. Its tempting to go back to Sanders and his context. Even its true Trump and others should be taxed more and better, the main problems are those poor ones gets no education and therefore are kept neing poor or has chosen to.
Here You ignore USA cant create enough jobs for the incommers. But many parts of the poor has bad traditons for doing badly just as their parents.
Here the Skandinavian model is that we really try to give better school, free education and better economical help for jospitals and healt care. More people then are included and dont make a state of poor in Our state.
…And by that it actually makes plus with that kind of investmenets in them. Many more can pay for themself or at least partly pay fpor themself.
By that we have less reel loosers and can take better care of them.
Thats not better. We do have too many fiascos but it solves a lot of things compared to USA.
Other countries having a high income are somewhere in the middle but USA should see that in the middle also could reduce much of the slum and trailerpark syndroms.
Just 180 million per toy, not much. Looks like russian intelligence is already inside Pentagon and runs it. You have ready to service heavy stealthy jet UAV, that’s really cool, but it delivers fuel instead missiles. Colonel Trump must be promoted to a general. Well done, comrades!