The Navy’s Boeing MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft made its first flight Saturday, April 25, from the Boeing production plant at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill. (Jamie Cosgrove/Boeing)
The Navy’s unmanned MQ-25A Stingray made its first flight Saturday, an early step toward a future mix of manned and unmanned aircraft operating from carriers at sea.
The two-hour flight originated from the Boeing production plant at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., according to the Navy.
The Stingray is designed as an unmanned remote-controlled in-flight refueler. It would take off from a Nimitz- or Ford-class aircraft carrier and fly up to 500 nautical miles with more than 14,000 pounds of fuel to transfer to F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft. The Stingray would then return to the carrier to be refueled for additional missions.
Aerial refueling from carriers is currently performed by crewed F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The Stingray would free up more manned aircraft for combat and other roles during deployed operations.
“The MQ-25A is not just an aircraft: it’s the first step in integrating unmanned aerial refueling onto the carrier deck, directly enabling our manned fighters to fly further and faster,” said Rear Adm. Tony Rossi, who oversees the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons.
Boeing said in a statement that the MQ-25A is the “Navy’s gateway” to integrating unmanned aircraft on the carrier deck, enabling manned-unmanned aircraft teaming in the future.
“The MQ-25A is the most complex autonomous system ever developed for the carrier environment, and this historic achievement advances us closer to safely integrating the Stingray into the carrier air wing,” said Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Air Dominance.
Navy and Boeing “air vehicle pilots” flew the Stingray from a ground control station on Saturday, putting it through flight control, engine performance and handling tests.
Capt. Daniel Fucito, the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager, said the Stingray will now undergo more rigorous testing designed to expand the aircraft’s “performance envelope” and ensure proper operation of all the systems required for aerial refueling missions.
After the additional testing at the Boeing facility, the Stingray will go to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., to prepare for carrier qualifications.
The Stingray flown on Saturday is the first of four Engineering Development Model aircraft that will be delivered to the Navy under an $805 million contract. The Navy’s 2027 budget proposal, released last week, includes a request for three MQ-25A Stingrays.
