Following the first flight, the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed tanker has reached the Milestone C and has been cleared for the Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP).
Acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy Hung Cao announced during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on May 19, 2026, that the MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed tanker has reached the Milestone C and it has been approved to move into the Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP). The milestone comes less than a month after the first flight on Apr. 25, 2026.
A press release by the U.S. Navy’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation says that an LRIP Lot 1 contract for three aircraft is expected to be awarded this summer. The contract would also include priced options for 3 aircraft as part of Lot 2 and 5 aircraft as part of Lot 3.
Today during the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing, I announced the MQ-25A Stingray is moving into the production phase.
Integrating unmanned refueling extends the lethality of our Carrier Strike Groups and equips our force with a decisive advantage to fight and win… pic.twitter.com/uBs7Gc5mdX
— Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao (@SECNAV) May 19, 2026
“Unmanned refueling extends our reach against any adversary,” stated Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. “Moving the MQ-25A Stingray to Milestone C and into production is arming our warfighters with a capability that increases the lethality of our Carrier Strike Groups. This is a decisive advantage that delivers our warfighters what they need to fight and win.”
The Secretary’s words were echoed by Vice Adm. John E. Dougherty IV, Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation, who said that “Milestone C approval represents an important step for this program. MQ‑25A will provide persistent aerial refueling and unlock greater capacity across the air wing, ensuring our carrier strike groups remain lethal, flexible, and forward‑ready.”
The MQ‑25A Stingray reaches Milestone C, officially moving into production and bringing the @USNavy one step closer to delivering the world’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft.
(Photo Courtesy of Boeing) pic.twitter.com/cvEZpitCAw
— PAE(A) (@PAEAviation) May 19, 2026
Boeing, which produces the aircraft, also welcomed the news. “Boeing is honored to work alongside our U.S. Navy partner in achieving this historic milestone in the MQ-25A Stingray’s development life cycle,” said Troy Rutherford, vice president, Boeing MQ-25 program. “We remain focused on getting this game-changing unmanned aircraft into the hands of the fleet and integrated into the carrier air wing.”
The first flight
After years of wait, Apr. 25, 2026, saw the first test flight of a production representative operational MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tanker. The Aviationist was the first and only outlet to report about the milestone soon after the aircraft landed back at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois.
Production bound.
Thank you, @USNavy, for your trust and partnership on the MQ-25A Stingray™. Milestone C clears the way to proceed with low-rate initial production. Getting this game-changing unmanned aerial refueler to the carrier fleet is our mission and commitment to you. pic.twitter.com/y67O1eOLyH
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) May 19, 2026
The MQ-25A flew for approximately two hours, with both Boeing and Navy Air Vehicle Pilots (AVPs) controlling the aircraft from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS) MD-5 ground control station, which integrates Lockheed Martin’s MDCX system. The Stingray was accompanied by a company-owned TA-4J Skyhawk and a U.S. Navy UC-12M Huron as chase aircraft.
As we noted in our previous reporting, the first flight of the production representative MQ-25 comes almost seven years after the first flight of the T1 test asset on Sept. 19, 2019. The drone was carrying the same Cobham ARS pod already used by the F/A-18, which will allow it to deliver up to 14,000–16,000 lb of fuel at 500 nautical miles, the Navy told Congress in an August 2025 report.
The maiden flight demonstrated the MQ-25’s ability to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land and respond to commands from the GCS. The flight followed a pre-determined mission plan which included a series of maneuvers and tests, successfully validating the aircraft’s basic flight controls, engine performance, and handling characteristics, according to the service and the company.
The aircraft is the first of four Engineering Development Model (EMD) aircraft that will be delivered to the Navy under an $805 million contract awarded in 2018. The company said that a number of aircraft are being built to conduct the required testing, including four EDM aircraft, five System Demonstration Test Articles and two ground test articles for static and testing.
The MQ-25 Stingray
The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an aerial refueling drone that resulted from the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program, which grew out of the earlier Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program.
The genesis of the MQ-25 Stingray traces back to the U.S. Navy’s imperative for a carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of providing aerial refueling to carrier strike groups’ assets. The primary mission of the MQ-25 is to deliver on-demand refueling support, significantly extending the endurance and operational flexibility of carrier-based aircraft.
The MQ-25 Stingray carried out the first ever air-to-air refueling operation between an unmanned tanker and a manned receiver aircraft in 2021. The milestone was achieved by the Boeing-owned MQ-25 T1 test asset employing the Cobham Aerial Refueling Store (ARS), the same used by F/A-18s, to perform the refueling operation.
The U.S. Navy is planning to procure 76 MQ-25, including the Engineering Development Model aircraft and System Demonstration Test Article aircraft. These will replace the F/A-18E Super Hornets in the aerial refueling role they currently have as part of the Carrier Air Wing, resulting in more fighters available for operational missions.
The MQ-25 would also become the first operational carrier-based UAV. The service says it would serve “as the pathfinder for the future of unmanned carrier aviation,” as it would be “at the forefront of integrating unmanned systems alongside manned platforms within the CVW.”
“MQ-25 increases the overall lethality of the CVW by relieving the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet of the aerial refueling mission, enabling ordnance to replace refueling stores on the F/A-18’s pylons. As secondary missions, MQ-25 will conduct recovery tanking and organic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to the CSG,” says the website of Unmanned Carrier-Launched Multi-Role Squadron Ten (VUQ-10), the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for the MQ-25 Stingray, established on Oct. 01, 2022, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
In addition to VUQ-10, two operational MQ-25A squadrons, VUQ-11 and 12, will be established. Following the first flight, additional sorties are expected before the aircraft moves to Pax River later this year to prepare for carrier qualifications, which were previously planned be conducted on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) by the end of the year.
