uav aerial refueling DARPA awarded $33 million contract (the program codename is KQ-X) to Northrop Grumman Corporation to demonstrate aerial refueling of a NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by a sister ship. Northrop Grumman will retrofit two of the high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAVs for completely autonomous aerial refueling, with one aircraft pumping fuel into the other in flight through a hose-and-drogue refueling system.

There are several evolutionary aspects to the KQ-X program:

  • autonomous aerial refueling
  • refueling will be performed at a much higher altitude than has been ever demonstrated with manned aircraft
  • HALE UAVs will fly in formation.