Boeing Wins First MQ-25A Stingray Production Contract
Washington, September 17, 2026 — The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a $562 million fixed-price incentive contract on September 14 for the first low-rate initial production (LRIP) lot of the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tanker. The contract formally moves the program from testing into series production.
What the contract covers
The deal funds production of three MQ-25As under Lot 1, plus additional funding for advance procurement of long-lead components for three more aircraft under Lot 2. Boeing said the three Lot 1 aircraft bring the total number of MQ-25As under contract to 14. First deliveries from Lot 1 are expected to begin in 2029.
What the MQ-25 does
The MQ-25A Stingray is the Defense Department’s first unmanned tanker and the Navy’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Its primary role is to relieve F/A-18 Super Hornets of the aerial-refueling “buddy tanker” duty that previously pulled aircraft away from strike missions, freeing the fighter fleet to focus on combat sorties without sacrificing range.
Program history
The MQ-25 completed its first flight earlier in 2026 at Boeing’s Mascoutah, Illinois facility, before beginning carrier trials aboard USS Nimitz. The Lot 1 award marks the transition from engineering and development into full-rate production planning — a concrete sign that unmanned systems are becoming an operational, not experimental, part of U.S. carrier aviation.
Strategic significance
Extending the reach of carrier-based air power is a Navy priority amid growing distance challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Beyond tanking, the MQ-25 is also being evaluated for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and limited cargo roles, versatility that meaningfully extends the total operating range of a carrier air wing.
A framework for Turkey
Turkey’s unmanned aviation portfolio — Baykar’s TB2/Akıncı/Kızılelma family and TUSAŞ’s Anka series — remains focused largely on ISR and strike missions; development of an unmanned aerial-refueling platform is not yet on the agenda. The “unmanned tanker” category the U.S. is opening with MQ-25 defines a new technology class relevant to any country operating carriers or large air forces over the medium term, making it a development worth tracking for Turkey’s future airpower planning.
What remains unclear
The exact signing date for the Lot 2 contract, the annual production rate for subsequent lots, and the timeline for fielding MQ-25 in ISR or cargo roles are not yet specified. Unit cost was not disclosed in the announcement.
Sources
- U.S. Navy official press release, “First Production Contract Awarded for MQ-25A Stingray,” September 14, 2026 (navy.mil)
- Naval Today, “Boeing gets $562M US Navy contract for three MQ-25A Stingrays”
- The Aviationist, “Boeing Awarded LRIP Contract for MQ-25 Stingray”
