Over the past month, several key developments have been made around the F-35 Lightning fighter that will affect future battlefields, including the completion of the F-35 mount tactical nuclear weapons technology certification and the realization of drone refueling of the F-35C in the air. These advances not only gave the F-35 a strategic deterrent status, but also allowed the F-35C-carrying carrier battle group to further expand its strike range.
On September 13, the U.S. Navy's MQ-25 Stingray drone successfully refueled an F-35C attack fighter near the Central American St. Louis airport in Mascota, Illinois.
People spoke highly of the success of this aerial refueling, saying it made history. Giving the F-35C fighters on aircraft carriers a longer combat radius means carriers can engage in combat in safe areas outside the range of enemy weapons. This success also brought another important achievement of the US military into people's sights, that is, the MQ-25A Stingray drone.
During the three-hour test flight, F-35C pilots from the 23rd Naval Aviation Corps Test Evaluation Squadron (VX-23) approached boeing's MQ-25 T1 for test flights and conducted formation assessments, wake surveys, and cone docking. The F-35C completed aerial refueling with the MQ-25T1 at an altitude of 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and a calibrated airspeed of 420 km/h.
This is the third aerial refueling test flight of the MQ-25T1, and on June 4 this year, the MQ-25T1 completed an aerial refueling test flight of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. On August 18, the air refueling test flight of the E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft was completed. The MQ-25T1 completed compatibility testing of the F/A-18F, E-2D and F-35C carrier aircraft in just three months, paving the way for its recent boarding test flight.
The MQ-25 could also pave the way for more complex integration of manned aircraft and drones, and its introduction will change the operational theory of carrier aviation forces, and unmanned platforms will play an increasingly important role. The Navy is now seeking to increase the ratio of unmanned and manned aircraft to 4:6, eventually achieving a 6:4 ratio of drones to manned aircraft.
The first mass-produced MQ-25 is expected to be delivered next fall. Thereafter, if all goes according to plan, the Navy expects to deploy 72 MQ-25s and reach initial operational capability in 2025. Henceforth, the scene of stingray refueling naval aircraft on aircraft carriers will become increasingly familiar.
The F-18 Super Hornet carrier-based attack aircraft has been used for buddy refueling operations. The U.S. Navy can do nothing about this, and these Super Hornet fighters have effectively become tankers for the carrier-based fleet. Up to 25 to 30 percent of the super hornet's flight time is used as tactical refueling for the air force. This amounts to a disguised reduction in the number of fighters available for air defense or attack missions.
Once the MQ-25 is operational, it can replace the F-18, which undertakes aerial refueling missions, freeing up the F-18 for air combat missions and reducing the lifespan of these fighters. In addition, drones can provide capabilities that exceed the limits of human pilots. Kilby said that because humans are limited by endurance, it is necessary to intelligently allocate pilots to where they are most needed in use, and let unmanned platforms take on work beyond human endurance.
The historical significance of the MQ-25 is that it was the first combat drone to board an aircraft carrier. It can carry about 6.8 tons (15,000 pounds) of fuel at a distance of 926 kilometers (500 nautical miles) from the carrier, refueling the Navy's F/A-18, F-35C fighter jets and E-2D AWACS aircraft, expanding the range and time left for these combat aircraft. Since the drone does not fatigue, it can linger in the air for a long time waiting to refuel the returning fighter.
Of the F-35A, B, and C models, the F-35C increased its wing area, increased its ammunition capacity and fuel in the aircraft, and had the longest range. The F-35C's built-in ammunition bay can be configured with different weapons depending on the mission' needs. Four AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles can be mounted when performing anti-air combat missions. During deep-depth strike missions, two Precision Guided Bombs (JSOW) outside the Joint Defense Zone and two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles can be mounted. Its built-in bomb bay can also carry two B61-12 variable-yield nuclear bombs for tactical nuclear strike missions.
The F-35C can only carry about 5,700 pounds of ammunition without external weapons, which is also a weakness of its ability to fight against air in the case of long-range combat missions. If the wing mount point is full of ammunition, it can carry up to 22,000 pounds of various anti-air and ground-to-ground weapons, but at this time it will lose stealth performance and reduce the combat radius.
The F-35C has a maximum in-flight fuel capacity of 8.9 tons (19,600 pounds) and can fly about 2,500 kilometers (about 1,500 miles) with in-flight fuel in a combat configuration that maintains stealth performance, i.e., using only the built-in bomb bay.
Stingray's advantage in such long-distance operations is highlighted, and it can be more flexibly deployed in ground bases close to the war zone, such as military bases of allies on the first island chain. It has a greater survivability than the vulnerable, bulky KC-135 tanker, which allows it to go where the KC-135 can't reach and provide support closer to combat airspace.
If the F-35C takes off from an aircraft carrier to operate, the Stingray could allow the carrier to participate in operations between 1,500 and 2,000 kilometers away from the combat target. Multiple Stingrays can be sent to escort the F-35C to 600 to 1,000 kilometers close to the combat target and fill it with fuel to support the F-35C with enough combat radius to participate in combat. Stingrays can also hide for long periods of time in airspace close to the war zone to wait for the F-35C to return. Stingray's air refueling support in the melee zone will help the F-35C achieve operations against deep targets behind enemy lines.
While the MQ-25's mission is currently limited to refueling in the air, the U.S. Navy has confirmed that it could take on more missions in the future, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and even attack missions.
The U.S. Marine Corps' F-35C stealth fighter has begun deployment on the USS Carl Vinson and USS Lincoln aircraft carriers in the Pacific Fleet and has followed USS Carl Vinson in the exercises.