The US Navy awarded Boeing a $562 million fixed-price incentive contract to start Lot 1 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of the MQ-25A STINGRAY unmanned tanker. The award follows the Milestone C approval announced in May by the Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao, during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, which cleared the program to move from development into production.

The STINGRAY will set 2 significant pioneering records: becoming the Defense Department’s first unmanned tanker and the Navy’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The new UAV will play an important role in supporting the F/A-18 SUPER HORNET fleet, extending its strike missions in range, endurance and flexibility. The MQ-25A will also allow manned fighters currently performing the aerial refueling role to focus on their primary strike role. During testing, the MQ-25 T1 demonstrator refueled 3 carrier-based aircraft: E-2D HAWKEYE, F-35C LIGHTNING II, and the F/A-18 SUPER HORNET. According to the company, the STINGRAY is designed to deliver at least 14,000 pounds (6.350 kg) of fuel at 500 nautical miles. Thanks to its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) architecture, with state-of-the-art sensors and secure, interoperable communications, it can also autonomously gather and relay critical information and be directed by manned aircraft to perform complementary tasks, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

The LRIP contract covers the production of 3 Lot 1 MQ-25A – with initial deliveries expected to begin in 2029 – and includes additional funding for components to support 3 more Lot 2 MQ-25A. According to US media reports, the program of record includes 67 operational aircraft and 9 test aircraft.

However, there is also some bad news for Boeing. The Pentagon’s April 2026 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report painted a pessimistic picture for the MQ-25’s timeline, citing technical risks and the strike by Boeing’s unionized workforce among the causes of delay. According to this report, the Pentagon expects the STINGRAY to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2029, 4 years later than initially planned. Still to be demonstrated is the STINGRAY’s potential beyond refueling: the aircraft traces its origins to the cancelled Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program, which originally envisioned a stealthy ISR and strike platform.

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