The Boeing-owned MQ-25 Stingray T1 demonstrator has been embarked on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier during the recent Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean.
Photos released by the U.S. Navy show that the demonstrator of the service’s new drone, the MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed tanker, has been embarked on the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) aircraft carrier. The aircraft in question is the Boeing-owned T1 demonstrator, which originally flew in 2019.
The aircraft was embarked on occasion of the Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250, a series of structured multilateral training events at-sea, aimed at building cohesiveness, validating tactical procedures, and strengthening the interoperability of participating units from the U.S. and 13 partner and allied nations. The MQ-25 was lined up on between four F/A-18E Super Hornets during a photoshoot.
Celebrating America 250 🇺🇸
To honor the United States’ 250th anniversary, the MQ-25A T1 prototype is aboard the USS Nimitz, offering a glimpse of the Navy’s carrier air wing of the future. The special “Boeing Backs America” mark highlights our support for U.S. aviation. pic.twitter.com/hbFYXtCxfK
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) June 29, 2026
It should be noted that this is not the first time an MQ-25 has been aboard an aircraft carrier. In fact, Boeing and the Navy conducted in December 2021 a flight deck demonstration, which allowed to test the remote control system and ensure the MQ-25 can move around the deck just like other aircraft.
The aircraft now sports a plain gray livery, without the orange surfaces which were previously seen during testing. Additionally, the MQ-25 now received new “250” markings on both sides and a “Boeing Backs America” marking.
It is unclear if the MQ-25 had a role during the FLEETEX or if it only took part in the photoshoot. Notably, the aircraft is not equipped with the Cobham ARS pod used for air refueling, usually carried under the left wing.
In a post on social media, Boeing said the presence of the MQ-25 on the USS Nimitz “honors the United States’ 250th anniversary” and offers “a glimpse of the Navy’s carrier air wing of the future.” The photos also allow to get a better idea of the Stingray’s dimensions compared to the Super Hornet and the C-2 Greyhound.
The milestone follows the first flight of the production representative MQ-25 on Apr. 25, 2026. A month later, the service approved the uncrewed tanker’s move into the Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP).
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.
