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Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray Completes First Flight, Kicking Off Test Program

The carrier-based refueling drone now enters formal testing ahead of carrier qualifications.

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The Navy's new refueling drone completed its first test flight over the weekend. The MQ-25A Stingray is the Navy's first carrier-based unmanned aircraft.
The Stingray completed its first flight test, a major step in uncrewed refueling from carriers, the Navy said.
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Overview

  • The production-representative MQ-25A flew for about two hours from MidAmerica Airport in Illinois on Saturday, executing autonomous taxi, takeoff, flight, and landing under ground-station control.
  • Designed as an unmanned tanker, the Stingray will pass fuel to carrier jets to extend the air wing’s range and let F/A-18 Super Hornets return to strike and air-defense missions.
  • Navy and Boeing crews operated the aircraft from the MD-5 ground control station that incorporates Lockheed Martin’s MDCX mission system.
  • Testing will continue at MidAmerica to expand the flight envelope, followed by a ferry to Naval Air Station Patuxent River later this year to prepare for carrier-qualification trials.
  • This first EMD aircraft is one of four development jets under an $805 million contract, and program documents now target initial operational capability in fiscal 2029.