Boeing MQ-25 Stingray

Lore & Background

The United States Navy began efforts to develop a carrier-based UAV in 2006 under the UCLASS program, originally intended as a stealthy strike platform. By 2012, requirements shifted toward an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft for counter-terrorism. In February 2016, priority was given to a carrier-based aerial refueling tanker, designated CBARS, with limited ISR and communications relay capabilities, while strike capabilities were deferred. The program was renamed MQ-25A Stingray in July 2016.

Boeing secretly built its wing-body-tail design in 2014 during a pause in the UCLASS program and revived it for CBARS. On 19 December 2017, Boeing unveiled its prototype, incorporating lessons from the Phantom Ray flying wing. General Atomics proposed the Sea Avenger, and Lockheed Martin proposed the Sea Ghost based on the RQ-170 Sentinel. Northrop Grumman withdrew its X-47B from the competition on 25 October 2017, citing inability to execute under the request for proposals. On 30 August 2018, the Navy awarded Boeing an $805 million contract for four MQ-25As, with delivery by August 2024. An additional three test aircraft were ordered in April 2020, bringing the total to seven.

The first test aircraft (T-1) was moved to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in late April 2019 and first flew on 19 September 2019. On 4 June 2021, the MQ-25 conducted its first refueling test with an F/A-18F Super Hornet, transferring 325 pounds of fuel over more than 10 minutes. Further refueling tests were performed with E-2 and F-35C aircraft. The MQ-25 is powered by a Rolls-Royce AE 3007N turbofan and features stealthy fuselage shaping, a flush inlet, and a V-tail. Images from April 2024 showed AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles on underwing hardpoints and an electro-optical sensor ball under the nose.

Reader's Guide

The MQ-25 Stingray represents a significant shift in U.S. Navy carrier aviation, providing an organic aerial refueling capability that frees up 20–30 percent of Super Hornets previously performing the tanker mission. The Navy's goal for the aircraft is to deliver 15,000 pounds of fuel to four to six airplanes at a range of 500 nautical miles, extending the Super Hornet's unrefueled combat radius from 450 to beyond 700 nautical miles. The program may expand to $13 billion overall and consist of 72 aircraft. The first Fleet Replacement Squadron, VUQ-10, was established at Naval Air Station Patuxent River on 1 October 2022, with four MQ-25s used for testing and development of maintenance and operations procedures. Two operational squadrons, VUQ-11 and VUQ-12, are planned. The Navy conducted the first flight of a developmental MQ-25 in April 2026 and approved low-rate initial production in May 2026, with flight tests expected to continue through the end of FY2029.

Did You Know?

• The MQ-25 first flew on 19 September 2019.
• The first refueling test on 4 June 2021 transferred 325 pounds of fuel to an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
• The Navy established the first MQ-25 squadron, VUQ-10, on 1 October 2022.