Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned tanker moves into production

The Navy reached a key aviation milestone this week, awarding a contract worth over half a billion dollars for construction of three aerial refueling drones designed to bolster its carrier air wings, officials said.

The $562 million deal with Boeing includes three MQ-25A Stingray drones and advanced acquisition of components needed to support the unmanned aircraft, the service said in a statement Monday.

The drones are intended to free up F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets for combat missions, according to the Navy’s statement.

The service hopes to use the MQ-25 in place of modified Super Hornets typically used for midair refueling, according to a Congressional Research Service report last month.

Earlier this year, USS Theodore Roosevelt became the first operational aircraft carrier compatible with the MQ-25, according to the report. Roosevelt is expected to deploy to the Middle East soon.

The MQ-25 is the world’s first fully integrated carrier-based unmanned aircraft. It also is capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to Boeing. Initial delivery is expected to begin in 2029, the Navy said.

The contract award marks a pivotal transition from development to reality, Capt. Daniel Fucito, unmanned carrier aviation program manager, said in the Navy statement.

The MQ-25 has been under development since 2016, part of a more than 25-year push by the Navy to develop multi-mission carrier-based unmanned combat drones, according to the Congressional Research Service report.

With a wingspan of 75 feet and a length of 51 feet, the drone would carry a fuel capacity of 14,000 pounds at a distance of 575 miles. That’s roughly the same as an F/A-18 but less than previous Navy tankers, the report said.

The Navy envisions an eventual fleet of 76 MQ-25 drones, 67 of which would be operational. The remaining ones would be used as test and development aircraft, according to the report.

The report raised questions about the Navy’s plan to begin limited production of the MQ-25 before fully completing testing and development could result in additional delays. How the service planned to manage that risk should be considered, the CRS report stated.

Other concerns included cybersecurity testing of software for the drone and its ground control station, and management of technical issues discovered during testing and development, according to the report.

In May, acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao authorized moving the MQ-25 program from research, engineering and development into the production and deployment phase, the service said.

The benchmark approval allows for production of a small number of the drones used for final operational testing and initial fleet deployment.

“This will expand the operational reach of the air wing while preserving the service life of F/A-18E/Fs, improving readiness across the Super Hornet fleet,” the Navy statement said.