Boeing MQ-25

[Pags]

https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1617374/

"The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a ceiling price $805,318,853 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract to provide the design, development, fabrication, test, verification, certification, delivery, and support of four MQ-25A unmanned air vehicles, including integration into the carrier air wing to provide an initial operational capability to the Navy."

 

[Swanee]

Hmm. That doesn't seem like a lot of money but it keeps the ball rolling!

So where do we put an additional 4 airplane squadron/det, to include all of the associated people and gear, on a boat that is already packed to the gills?

 

[Pags]

Hmm. That doesn't seem like a lot of money but it keeps the ball rolling!

So where do we put an additional 4 airplane squadron/det, to include all of the associated people and gear, on a boat that is already packed to the gills?

Keep in mind that's only the EMD contract, not the production contract. According to USNI: "The Navy eventually plans to buy 72 more vehicles, with a total program cost of about $13 billion "

https://news.usni.org/2018/08/30/navy-picks-boeing-build-mq-25a-stingray-carrier-based-drone

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

What percentage get MQ-25A 's?

 

[danpass]

I could have sworn the thing was a Northrop design. What am I missing?

That "MQ-25A" is a generic designator? (though now assigned to Boeing?)

 

[HAL Pilot]

So where do we put an additional 4 airplane squadron/det, to include all of the associated people and gear, on a boat that is already packed to the gills?

Airwings have been downsized since the CVNS were built. They had more and bigger planes in the 80s & 90s than they do now. There’s room.

 

[Pags]

I could have sworn the thing was a Northrop design. What am I missing?

That "MQ-25A" is a generic designator? (though now assigned to Boeing?)

Until yesterday MQ-25 had not been officially assigned to any aircraft. It was a designation for an airplane to be built. NGC withdrew from the competition sometime ago leaving Boeing, LM, and General Atomics as the final competitors. A few years ago NGC built the X-47 as a part of a demonstration program. But X-47 =/= MQ-25.

 

[ea6bflyr]

So, anyone know what is going to come off the carrier to make room for a squadron of MQ-25s? I'm assuming F-35s will replace a Super Hornet squadron 1 for 1. But this *new* capability will crowd the deck...so something's gotta give.

 

[nittany03]

So, anyone know what is going to come off the carrier to make room for a squadron of MQ-25s? I'm assuming F-35s will replace a Super Hornet squadron 1 for 1. But this *new* capability will crowd the deck...so something's gotta give.

I'm pretty sure the Nimitz class can fit more aircraft than we currently use, bitching handlers aside. Aren't we down about 20 aircraft from what they used to carry in the Cold War?

 

[sevenhelmet]

Airwings have been downsized since the CVNS were built. They had more and bigger planes in the 80s & 90s than they do now. There’s room.

Tell that to a modern handler, and then sit back and watch the fireworks (or alternatively, run like hell, depending on your rank). They all act like having the entire air wing aboard is asking far too much of them. No shit, we had to send jets to the beach during our last TSTA, because we needed to "reduce footprint", despite not even having all the airwing jets aboard in the first place. Although it was a good deal for the guys who got to spend a weekend ashore, C2X/cruise is going to be interesting.

 

[nittany03]

Tell that to a modern handler, and then sit back and watch the fireworks (or alternatively, run like hell, depending on your rank). They all act like having the entire air wing aboard is asking far too much of them. No shit, we had to send jets to the beach during our last TSTA, because we needed to "reduce footprint", despite not even having all the airwing jets aboard in the first place. Although it was a good deal for the guys who got to spend a weekend ashore, C2X/cruise is going to be interesting.

WTAF? What does this handler think they're going to do when they're blue water? Keep a division in high holding 24/7?

 

[sevenhelmet]

WTAF? What does this handler think they're going to do when they're blue water? Keep a division in high holding 24/7?

What's funnier is it ended up being no more than 4-5 jets total. I'm not sure what difference that made, considering we only had about 45 airplanes on board to begin with (not counting the Hummer, who sits in his hole regardless...)

Operations with the V-22 COD are going to be really interesting...

 

[Flash]

Airwings have been downsized since the CVNS were built. They had more and bigger planes in the 80s & 90s than they do now. There’s room.

I'm pretty sure the Nimitz class can fit more aircraft than we currently use, bitching handlers aside. Aren't we down about 20 aircraft from what they used to carry in the Cold War?

A few air wings in the late 80’s/early 90’s deployed with one extra A-6 squadron in addition to the ‘standard’ 2xVF and 2xVFA/VA(L) squadrons along with single VA(M), VS, VAQ, VAW and HS squadrons. That’s roughly 55-65 VF/A aircraft in addition to the 12-16 other fixed winged birds, and the HS helos. Earlier air wings also had detachments of 2xEA-3B’s and even earlier, RA-5C’s.

So yeah, there’s room.

 

[HAL Pilot]

During Desert Storm, TR had
22-24 F14
20 A6 & KA6
22-24 FA18
5-6 E2
8 S3
5-6 EA6B
6 SH3
1-2 ES3

We also had 6 OV10s onboard during our transit.

We conducted flight ops with 95-100 aircraft onboard.

There is room for s few drones today.

 

[Swanee]

During Desert Storm, TR had
22-24 F14
20 A6 & KA6
22-24 FA18
5-6 E2
8 S3
5-6 EA6B
6 SH3
1-2 ES3

We also had 6 OV10s onboard during our transit.

We conducted flight ops with 95-100 aircraft onboard.

There is room for s few drones today.

Damn, where did they put everyone?