The test validated hardware and software in the carrier-based MD-5C Ground Control Station, marking another step toward integrating unmanned aerial refueling into carrier operations.
For the first time, an MQ-25A Stingray unmanned refueling aircraft was controlled through a Ground Control Station (GCS) aboard the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), marking a major milestone for the program. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao made the announcement on Oct. 19, 2026, with the Navy stating that the drone took off from Boeing’s facility at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, while the carrier was operating in the Pacific Ocean.
The Preliminary Sea Trial exercise leveraged a Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) satellite network to connect the drone to the shipboard Unmanned Air Warfare Center’s (UAWC) MD-5C Ground Control Station (GCS). The latest test was a part of “build-up exercises designed to validate procedures, networks and interfaces.” The statement did not specify when the test took place or include images of the trial.
@PAEAviation @flynavy https://t.co/7BhchRh6yr
— Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao (@SECNAV) October 19, 2026
In a separate milestone, Boeing announced on Oct. 6 a successful trial of the Stingray’s Link 16 datalink-based Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) command and control software during the Emerald Flag exercise at Eglin AFB, Florida.
The software was installed on a Beechcraft 1900D and a King Air E90 to demonstrate command and control between the two crewed aircraft. Boeing plans to integrate the capability with the MQ-25A and F/A-18 Super Hornet after further testing and evaluation.
MQ-25A Stingray is moving closer to teaming with fleet aircraft.
We’ve tested the new Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) software that enables command-and-control communication between manned aircraft and the unmanned MQ-25A over Link 16 military network.
More: https://t.co/ny2J5A4c3A
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) October 5, 2026
The latest test has laid the groundwork for the U.S. Navy’s future carrier-borne unmanned aviation. It validated hardware and software in the MD-5C GCS, which is intended to control the MQ-25 and future unmanned aircraft. The MQ-25A Stingray also serves as a pathfinder to help the Navy chart out the roadmap for the future unmanned aircraft for its Carrier Air Wings (CVW).
The test is broadly in line with a previous timeline by the Navy, which planned to achieve the MQ-25A Stingray’s carrier integration by 2026. In 2024, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) became the first aircraft carrier to receive an UAWC with an MD-5E GCS.
In September 2026, the U.S. Navy also awarded Boeing a contract for the Lot 1 of the Stingray’s Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP). This $562 million award also brought the total number of Stingrays under contract to 14.
Stingray controlled from aircraft carrier at sea
The Navy’s press release said the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program Office’s (PMA-268) Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS) team had held “pier side and at-sea tests” with the MQ-25 Integrated Test Team, which includes U.S. Navy, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division developed the Multi-Domain Combat System (MDCS) that went into the UMCS’s MD-5 Ground Control Station (GCS).
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. https://t.co/hbFYXtCxfK
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) June 29, 2026
In a post on X, Secretary Cao emphasized the potential of unmanned refueling to transform naval power projection. He added the trial tested “remote connections, flight profiles, and more to ensure we capitalize on this game-changing capability.”
In the Navy release, Cao further said the Stingray’s capabilities enable the F/A-18 Super Hornets – currently used in the buddy refueling role – “to fly farther and longer.” Cao added: “The integration of this unmanned aerial refueler demonstrates the transformational change our manned and unmanned asset integration provides the Fleet.”
“We have redefined naval power projection,” said Capt. Daniel Fucito, PMA-268’s program manager. “This first-ever underway connection between a carrier-based UAWC and an MQ-25A aircraft proves that the Carrier Air Wing of tomorrow is a reality today.”
The release does not mention which Stingray airframe was involved in the test and controlled through the MD-5C GCS. The first production-representative MQ-25A Stingray has been conducting test flights from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, Illinois, and is the likely candidate.
Groundwork for future naval unmanned aviation
The release said the MD-5C GCS integrates the Navy’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) network with Lockheed Martin’s MDCX hardware and software and other government-produced equipment to provide command and control of the MQ-25A.
“The system will also provide command and control for the Navy’s future unmanned carrier aircraft and the Air Wing of the Future,” the release added. In fact, the service is working on a larger integration of unmanned aircraft aboard the carrier, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
The MQ-25A Stingray is the world’s first fully integrated, carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle, and also serves as the “pathfinder for the future of unmanned carrier aviation.”
“The Stingray will provide the Carrier Air Wing with essential organic refueling, allowing more F/A-18E/F aircraft to focus on strike missions and expand the operational reach of the air wing,” further added the service.
