New details of Lockheed Martin’s bid for the MQ-25 Stingray
contract reveal a flying wing unmanned tanker with several key components
re-used from aircraft already on board the US Navy’s aircraft carriers.
The flying wing MQ-25 in Lockheed’s bid
will be powered by the GE Aviation F404 engine and supported
by United Technologies Aerospace Systems landing gear, says Rob
Weiss, vice-president of Lockheed’s Skunk Works division.
The F404 engine is now used by the
Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet and a more powerful variant, called the F414, is
installed on the series of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.
The landing gear for Lockheed’s MQ-25
bid is identical to the product that UTAS supplies for the F-35C,
which is scheduled to become operational on the navy’s carrier’s by next year,
Weiss adds.
More electronic components from the
F-35C are embedded in Lockheed’s MQ-25 configuration, but the company declined
to specify the hardware.
Lockheed considers the use of familiar
systems a competitive advantage as the USN evaluates three competing bids, ine
cluding submittals from Boeing and General Atomics Aeronautic Systems.
The aircraft carrier has limited room to
store additional spares and personnel as it introduces the unmanned MQ-25 on
carriers in the mid-2020s. By leveraging systems and structural components
already in the ship’s inventory, the USN avoids the cost of duplicating
inventory and training to store and manage spares.
The new details about Lockheed’s bid
also reveal a strange disparity in thrust ratings offered by two of the three
bidders.
Lockheed’s F404-powered engine offers
about 10,000lb-thurst, according to GE. That’s slightly more than the Boeing’s
bid, which is powered by a 9,000lb-thrust version of the Rolls-Royce AE3007.
Both Lockheed’s and Boeing’s bids,
however, offer a fraction of the thrust of the bid proposed by GA-ASI. The
latter’s MQ-25 is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW815 turbofan, which
is rated at 16,000lb-thrust.
(Evangle Luo of TTFLY shared with you)
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