MQ-25A Stingray completes first operational flight
- Boeing and the U.S. Navy said April 27 the first operational MQ-25A Stingray flew April 25, completing a two-hour test flight in Illinois. - The unmanned tanker autonomously taxied, took off, flew and landed from MidAmerica Airport while responding to commands from the MD-5 ground station. - The Navy now targets initial operational capability in 2029, later than earlier plans. (news.usni.org)
The U.S. Navy’s first operational MQ-25A Stingray flew on April 25, giving Boeing’s carrier-based refueling drone its first two-hour test flight. (navy.mil) (boeing.com) The flight took off at 10:49 a.m. CDT from Boeing’s facility at MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, and lasted about two hours, according to the Navy and Boeing. (navy.mil) (boeing.com) During the sortie, the aircraft autonomously taxied, took off, flew and landed, while crews controlled it through the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station. (boeing.com) (investors.boeing.com) The MQ-25A is built to act as an aerial tanker, handing fuel to carrier-based fighters in flight so those jets can spend more time on strike and air-defense missions. The Navy says shifting that job off crewed fighters extends the combat range of the carrier air wing. (usff.navy.mil) (defensenews.com) This was not the first MQ-25 ever to fly. Boeing’s T1 test asset had already demonstrated aerial refueling with a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet in 2021, but this April 25 flight was the first for a production-representative Navy MQ-25A. (boeing.com) (defensenews.com) The aircraft that flew is the first of four Engineering Development Model jets due to the Navy, according to Boeing and defense trade reporting. The new flight starts formal testing for the operational version that is meant to move onto carrier integration. (boeing.com) (insidedefense.com) The milestone arrived with a schedule slip. Navy budget documents cited by USNI News and Defense One now put initial operational capability in 2029, after earlier targets that had moved from 2026 to fiscal 2027. (news.usni.org) (defenseone.com) (congress.gov) Rear Adm. Tony Rossi said the flight was “a landmark achievement” for the Navy-Boeing team. The next steps are carrier integration and operational testing, not deployment. (navy.mil) (boeing.mediaroom.com)
