The U.S. Navy is testing the possibility of using their aging fleet of Aerial Refueling Store pods on their new air-to-air refueling tanker, the MQ-25 Stingray. Engineers at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) are testing the current pods to determine their potential for life-extension testing, potentially saving the Navy millions of dollars.
Currently, the Navy’s Aerial Refueling Store pods are flown aboard naval aircraft like F/A-18 and are expected to reach their estimated end-of-life in 2025. Meanwhile, the MQ-25 will need dozens of pods delivered between now and 2035 as the Stingray heads to the fleet. Each of these pods carries 2,000 lbs. of fuel and can cost the Navy about $2.2 million each to replace.
NAWCAD engineer Tom Cavallaro says that with the proven life-extension testing, the pods should be able to expand the Stingray’s reach and operate in the fleet through 2040. NAWCAD structural engineer Corey Golladay added that if testing is successful, Flight Readiness Center (FRC) Southeast can reuse the current pod shells and update their internal workings at less than half the cost.
To test the integrity of the pods’ frame, NAWCAD engineers and technicians created a custom test rig featuring hydraulic arms that twist and flex the pod replicating gravity and acceleration forces gathered from flight data. The test ran for two-and-a-half months and ran 6,292 unique cases of flight data – in total, 440,720 simulated loads. That’s equivalent to two lifetimes of force, with no visual damage to the shell exterior.
NAWCAD’s Structures lab collaborated with the Navy’s Precision Strike Weapons Program Office (PMA-201) for the project. The team will next send the tested pod to FRC Southeast in Jacksonville, Florida, to check for wear and determine whether refurbishment will be the solution.
The potential life-extension testing of the Aerial Refueling Store pods is a promising solution that could save the Navy millions of dollars. The success of this project will ensure that the MQ-25 Stingray can operate efficiently with the existing fleet of pods, which will be able to remain in operation through 2040.
For more information, hit the Source below