Tyler has the story and even MORE pics here.
Just plain WOW!
Boeing either read the Navy's mind, is trying to help the Navy out, saw a tremendous opportunity to oneup the competition or all of the above.
What do I mean?
They're coming with what looks to me like a big stealth body UAV. You know what that means don't you. Flexing into the ISR, or strike mission should be relatively simple (wonder if it will have bays for extra fuel that can be reconfigured for sensors or weapons?).
The Marine Corps better adjust now.
They're trying to tailor the force so that Company Landing Teams can participate in the rolling back of enemy defenses? Launch assaults from further offshore?
Never gonna happen. Land based anti-ship missiles will maintain a range advantage, as will most foreign air launched systems.
The Marine Corps could be looking at a future where the Navy is asking NOT for an America class LHD filled with F-35's and the Marines left on the pier.
No the future could be that the Navy asks for an America class LHD and Marine Air, Marine Ground and Marine Logistics are left on the pier and they sail with 40 MQ-25D's...5 for ISR, 5 for tanking, 10 for missile trucks and the remainder for deep strike.
You take every big deck LHD (and I think this is possible with the new automated landing system...the only thing you MIGHT have to install are arresting wires) and if you're in a real high tech shootout and automation has gotten pretty far then you could have a robot LHD, carrying robot planes to destroy robot enemy targets. Rearming, refueling and such might be tricky but think of the possibilities!
You can plan for the future but sometimes the future has a plan for you! Hope HQMC remembers that!
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