Thread by @DefenseNigeria

Say hello to the MQ-25 Stingray. The $150 million unmanned aerial refueling drone.

Sorry China. The U.S is a step ahead of you on this one.

China's J-20s stealth fighter sacrificed agility for range. Its the largest low observable stealth aircraft in the world. The J-20 is designed to punch through to the open air space of the western Pacific Ocean.

There, the far flying J-20s would search for, and try to destroy, the aerial tankers, surveillance planes and airborne command posts that U.S count on for some advantage over more numerous Chinese forces. It was a costly gamble. But make no mistake, the J-20 has an impressive

internal fuel capacity and ability to carry up to four external fuel tanks. This will allow the J-20 to act as a long range interceptor, hunting down U.S tankers. A critical task if China is to keep the might of the U.S tanker dependent air power at arm’s length in a conflict.

For context compare the lenght Chinese J-20 Dragon and the American F-22 Raptor fuselage.

The the MQ-25 Stingray will vastly extend the fuel range of America’s carrier based fighters. If you find yourself wondering why a drone refueler could be so important to America’s defense apparatus. China has a large and potent missile force

The Stingray extends the reach of carrier based aircraftts, allowing sorties to launch from outside the range of China’s missiles and still engage targets on their shoreline.