The U.S. Navy’s first MQ-25A Stingray™ successfully completed its second test flight.
- Boeing and U.S. Navy Air Vehicle Pilots facilitated the flight by sending the aircraft commands from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.
- The aircraft received the commands and autonomously managed the propulsion, subsystems, guidance and flight controls necessary to achieve both landing gear up and landing gear down phases of the mission plan.
Why it matters: The flight further validates the aircraft’s flight controls and performance, moving it another step closer to carrier operations.
Driving the news: The second flight built upon the success of the first flight and included landing gear cycles and a new software load to support future flight envelope expansion tests.
Behind the scenes: Before the second flight, Boeing teams, in coordination with the Navy test team, uploaded a new software load to the aircraft.
- The software included vehicle management system and mission computer improvements.
- It will also support flight envelope expansion in future test flights.
What’s next: Boeing teammates will apply the U.S. Navy livery to the aircraft and then conduct additional test flights out of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.
By Jarrett Heckert
