US Navy’s Unmanned MQ-25A Stingray Notches First Successful Test Flight
The unmanned refueler completed autonomous taxi, takeoff, flight and landing, while the Navy says initial operational capability is still slipping.
- On Saturday, April 25, the U.S. Navy and Boeing successfully completed the first autonomous test flight of the MQ-25A Stingray at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, validating basic flight controls over two hours.
- Designed primarily as an aerial refueling tanker, the MQ-25A aims to extend the combat range of carrier-based F/A-18 Super Hornets by assuming refueling missions from crewed fighters.
- Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager Daniel Fucito said the MQ-25A will now undergo rigorous testing to expand its "performance envelope" under an $805 million contract.
- The MQ-25A will conduct a ferry flight to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, later this year to prepare for carrier qualifications after completing additional tests at the Boeing facility.
- Budget documents released last week indicate the program faces a nearly two-year delay, with initial operational capability now expected by the second quarter of FY-29.
30 Articles
30 Articles
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The U.S. Navy reports that the long-anticipated MQ-25 Stingray carrier-launched refueler drone has finally completed its first operational test flight, something of great consequence for air attack campaigns given the risks and problems associated with the Air Force’s fleet of large, non-stealthy fixed-wing tanker aircraft. MQ-25: Fixed-Wing Tankers That Are a Game Changer MQ-25. Image Credit: Creative Commons. The largest problem with large fix…
Navy’s drone refueler notches first flight—but it won’t be on aircraft carriers until 2029
As the Navy celebrates the first flight of its unmanned robot refueler, the service’s latest budget documents show the aircraft won’t be operational until at least 2029—another delay for the troubled program. The MQ-25 A Stingray was originally supposed to reach initial operating capability, or IOC, by 2024. That was pushed to 2026, and then slipped to 2027. And Navy budget documents released this week show that the initial aircraft is now sched…
The Navy just tested its new $209 million Stingray refueling drone
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. Right now, there are no unmanned refueling aircraft in service, but the Navy said the Stingray is expected to enter service in 2027.Built by Boeing, the Stingray costs about $209 million per unit. The Navy invested about $16 billion in the system. After years of delays in the Stingray's develop…
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