#KILBY AIRBOSS ONBOARD AIR DIP STICK HOW TO#
“So we’re already seeing great returns, we’re learning how to operate it, we’re understanding the limitations now and addressing those to make sure the future variants of that provide the most robust capability we can.” MQ-25A Stingrayīoeing tested MQ-25A T1 prototype with a an aerial refueling store (ARS) on Dec. “Future variants will have increased capabilities that will add even more to that mosaic of sensors to provide feedback back to the warfighter,” Kilby said. “And it’s not that we’re going to stop it was feedback from the fleet that we needed that extra set of mission capability.” “That fleet or feedback is a critical thing that we’re considering as one of our factors – so we received feedback on an improved mission set, and so we decided to take a little pause to make sure that we get the technology for the new mission set in place before we start building more,” Stefany said. Kilby and Stefany were vague on the details but said that they were already looking at adding capability to the system. US Navy photo.Īmong the reasons for taking a break is that the Navy wants to figure out what capability it has for forward operators and what improvements it wants to add. Two Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles sit on the tarmac at a Northrop Grumman test facility in Palmdale, Calif., in May 2013. Stefany said any breaks in buying the systems aren’t expected to create any quality or cost issues for the production line. “It was a relatively small risk for us to take a year off” from production with so many already under contract for Northrop Grumman and its subcontractors to work on, he said, and the Navy plans to pick back up Triton acquisition in FY 2022 or 2023, depending on the budget. Jay Stefany, the acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said at the hearing that two vehicles are in early fielding now and that 19 more are on contract with manufacturer Northrop Grumman, including the one that Congress put into the FY 2021 budget. HASC led an effort to insert funding for one, to keep the production line running. So I think Triton will add tremendous value there.”ĭespite that value, the Navy did not request funding to buy any more vehicles in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget request. “So to me it’s a validation – and having been an operator in the Pacific, sometimes it corrects a mis-ID, for lack of a better word. “It allows us to create a more complete picture of what is out there versus what we think is out there” in the vast ocean and air space, he said. Jim Kilby, the deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities (OPNAV N9), said during the March 18 hearing that the Navy was learning a lot about how to use the air vehicle to support warfighters in a relevant way. Now, the program is facing additional delays as the service tries to ensure the vehicles carry the right payload to help operators in the Pacific. The program had previously been on track to reach initial operational capability this year, which was itself a delay after the deployment of the first two vehicles was postponed from 2018 to 2020. Two vehicles are currently operating out of Guam, providing maritime awareness to operators in the area.
Of all the programs discussed during the hearing, the furthest along in fielding is the MQ-4 Triton. An MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) idles on a runway at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam after arriving for a deployment as part of an early operational capability (EOC) test.
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