The Navy anticipates the delivery of the MQ-25 unmanned refueling aircraft in 2025. According to the head of US Naval Forces Central Command, this development provides a „glimpse into the future of naval aviation.”
Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander of NAVCENT and the Fifth Fleet, highlighted at the Manama Air Power Symposium that the MQ-25 platform will establish a new benchmark for unmanned operations at sea. With its deployment, the MQ-25 is expected to relieve F-18s from current refueling responsibilities, allowing these fighter jets to focus more on strike missions. The Navy forecasts that its first MQ-25 units will be operational by 2026.
Wikoff stated, „The MQ-25 gives us a glimpse into the future of naval aviation, demonstrating the potential force multiplier that advanced uncrewed systems will bring to the carrier air wing.”
In August, the Navy announced the completion of its first carrier-based control room designed to operate the MQ-25 aboard the USS George H. W. Bush. A month later, Boeing, the manufacturer of the MQ-25, demonstrated that a crew aboard a P-8 surveillance aircraft could control the MQ-25 mid-flight.
Additionally, Wikoff noted the operational status of the MQ-4C Triton, a large, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that achieved initial capability last year and has begun missions in the Middle East. In October, the Navy confirmed the establishment of a third operational orbit for the Triton within the Fifth Fleet’s Area of Operations (AOR), following deployments to Guam and Italy.
US Central Command’s AOR encompasses Northeast Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, while the Fifth Fleet’s jurisdiction includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and parts of the Indian Ocean—an expansive area that includes crucial chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal.
