Manned-Unmanned Teaming Successfully Demonstrated

Manned-Unmanned Teaming Successfully Demonstrated

Carrier UAV

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Manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) is a key future capability outlined in the US Navy’s Unmanned Campaign Plan. 

A Boeing-led team has demonstrated MUM-T capabilities in a virtual environment using the US Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial refueler, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne command-and-control aircraft and the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The demonstration, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, used Northrop Grumman’s portable E-2D simulator in conjunction with Boeing’s F/A-18 and MQ-25 simulations to establish a data link network that was used to supervise MQ-25 flight operations, according to Boeing’s announcement.  

The Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed aerial refueler communicated with other crewed aircraft without requiring any air vehicle operator on the ground.

In June, Boeing and the US Navy demonstrated the first-ever aerial refuelling between a crewed and uncrewed aircraft.