The U.S. Navy’s future carrier-based aerial refueling drone has reached a major development milestone, with Boeing confirming the first flight of the MQ-25A Stingray after a series of delays that pushed the program’s schedule from 2025 into 2026. The event marks a key step toward bringing autonomous refueling capabilities to the carrier air wing and expanding the operational reach of U.S. Navy aircraft at sea.
According to Boeing, the flight lasted approximately two hours and was conducted in coordination with the U.S. Navy from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. During the test, the MQ-25A Stingray autonomously performed essential flight operations, including taxi, takeoff, navigation, landing, and response to operator commands.
The mission was managed through the MD-5 Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System, operated from a Ground Control Station at the airport. Boeing operators and U.S. Navy air vehicle pilots monitored the aircraft throughout the sortie, sending commands and assessing the drone’s performance in real time. Once airborne, the MQ-25A executed a pre-planned mission profile designed to validate flight control systems, navigation functions, and safe integration with the ground control architecture.
Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Air Dominance, described the flight as the result of years of lessons learned with the MQ-25A T1 prototype and said it reflected a significant maturation of the program. He also noted that the MQ-25A is the most complex autonomous system ever developed for the carrier environment, adding that the milestone brings the Stingray closer to safe integration into the carrier air wing.
Rear Admiral Tony Rossi, head of the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, also emphasized the importance of the milestone for naval aviation. He said the first flight represented a key achievement for the U.S. Navy and Boeing team, as well as a critical step toward the future of the carrier air wing. Rossi also noted that the test showed progress toward delivering a carrier-based refueling capability that will significantly expand the fleet’s range and operational capacity.
The MQ-25A Stingray is intended to become a cornerstone of the U.S. Navy’s future unmanned carrier aviation architecture. Its aerial refueling role will allow carrier air wings to extend their combat radius while reducing the need to assign F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters to tanker missions, freeing those aircraft for strike, air defense, and other operational tasks.
The program had faced notable setbacks during 2025, when the U.S. Navy confirmed that the aircraft’s first flight would not take place before the end of that year. Reported factors included the integration of certified software, continuing engine testing, the completion of command programming by Lockheed Martin, and potential indirect effects from a U.S. government shutdown and labor disputes affecting Boeing facilities.
Progress resumed earlier in 2026, when Boeing announced the completion of ground testing, including low-speed autonomous taxi trials that helped validate the MQ-25A’s initial systems. Following this first flight, Boeing and the U.S. Navy are expected to continue testing at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport before transferring the aircraft to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, where further evaluations will support its future certification for carrier-based operations.
Cover image obtained from Boeing
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