ST. LOUIS - The MQ-25A Stingray uncrewed tanker from Boeing in Arlington, Va., completed its first flight on 25 April, demonstrating autonomous taxi, takeoff, flight, and landing as the U.S. Navy moves toward deploying a carrier-based unmanned refueling capability.
The two-hour flight from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., validated flight controls, navigation, and integration with the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station. Operators issued commands and monitored performance from the ground station as the aircraft executed a pre-planned mission profile.
"Today's successful flight builds on years of learning from our MQ-25A T1 prototype and represents a major maturation of the program," said Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Air Dominance. "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."
"The first flight of the MQ-25A is a landmark achievement for the Navy-Boeing team and a critical step toward the future of the carrier air wing," said Rear Adm. Tony Rossi of the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons. "This flight demonstrates our progress in delivering a carrier-based refueling capability that will significantly extend the reach and lethality of our fleet."
Stingray background
The MQ-25 is designed to transfer roughly 15,000 pounds of fuel using a hose-and-drogue system, extending the operational range of carrier-based aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and enabling crewed-uncrewed teaming. The platform also provides a growth path for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions through networked sensors and onboard processing.
A central element of the flight was the command-and-control architecture. The mission used the MDCX platform from Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Md., which serves as the software backbone of the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System.
The system uses an open architecture, plug-in-based design aligned with Modular Open Systems Approach principles, enabling scalable control of multiple unmanned systems and supporting manual through fully autonomous mission execution modes.
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Contributing companies
The aircraft integrates propulsion, avionics, communications, and power subsystems from a broad industrial base. The AE 3007N turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce in London provides the endurance required for persistent tanker operations. Electrical power generation and distribution are supplied by Astronics in East Aurora, N.Y., supporting mission systems and avionics loads.
Flight control and vehicle management are enabled by fly-by-wire systems from BAE Systems in London. Avionics and navigation systems are provided by Honeywell in Charlotte, N.C., and Collins Aerospace in Charlotte, N.C., while embedded computing hardware from Curtiss-Wright in Davidson, N.C., and Aitech Defense Systems in Chatsworth, Calif., supports mission processing and autonomy functions.
Communications and datalinks from Cubic Corporation in San Diego, Calif., and L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Fla., provide line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight connectivity for command, control, and data exchange.
The aerial refueling mission is enabled by a hose-and-drogue system from Cobham Mission Systems, integrated with actuation systems from Moog Inc. in East Aurora, N.Y. Fluid and fuel handling systems from Parker Hannifin in Cleveland, Ohio, and hydraulic systems from Triumph Group in Berwyn, Pa., support aircraft operations, while landing gear from Héroux-Devtek in Longueuil, Quebec, is designed for carrier recovery loads.
Additional contributions from Raytheon in Arlington, Va., and GE Aerospace in Evendale, Ohio, support sensor processing, RF systems, and mission electronics, positioning the platform for expanded roles.
