Boeing and the US Navy successfully completed the first test flight of an operational-equivalent MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 25 April 2026 during a successful two-hour flight out of MidAmerica St Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois.

The MQ-25A Stingray, the primary mission of which is aerial refuelling to extend the range, endurance and flexibility of US carrier air wings, will be the US Navy’s first operational, carrier-based UAV in its size and class. Once MQ-25As are deployed, F/A-18 Super Hornets currently performing the aerial refuelling role will be able to focus on their primary role as a multi-role strike fighters.

During its two-hour flight, the MQ-25A successfully demonstrated its ability to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land and respond to commands from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station (GCS). Boeing and US Navy air vehicle pilots (AVPs) facilitated the mission by sending the aircraft commands and then monitored its performance from the GCS at MidAmerica St Louis Airport, where the programme is based. Once airborne, the Stingray executed a pre-determined mission plan that validated its flight controls, navigation and safe integration with the GCS.

Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager for Boeing Air Dominance, was quoted in a Boeing press release as saying the 25 April flight “represents a major maturation of the programme”,” adding that 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.”

Rear Admiral Tony Rossi, who oversees the US Navy’s Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, was quoted as saying, “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. This flight demonstrates our progress in delivering a carrier-based refuelling capability that will significantly extend the reach and lethality of our fleet.”

The MQ-25A operates as an autonomous UAV with a human on the decision-making loop. AVPs create flight routes and establish the waypoints for the MQ-25A’s flight. Once the AVP gives the command, the Stingray’s onboard autonomy manages all onboard systems, including propulsion, subsystems, guidance and flight control. During an MQ-25A’s flight, AVPs continue to monitor the aircraft’s health and performance and have the ability to abort or change the mission profile as required.

The MQ-25A that flew on 25 April is the first of four engineering development model aircraft that will be delivered to the US Navy under the original USD 805 million engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract awarded to Boeing on 30 August 2018 after it won the navy’s Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) programme.

Boeing and the US Navy will now conduct additional test flights of the aircraft out of MidAmerica St Louis Airport to further validate its flight controls and capabilities before it is moved to Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, to prepare for carrier qualifications.

With a wingspan of 22.9 m (9.5 m with wings folded) and a length of 15.5 m, the MQ-25A is powered by a single Rolls-Royce AS 3007N turbofan delivering 44 kN of thrust. The first MQ-25 test aircraft, designated T1, made its maiden flight on 19 September 2019.

On 4 June 2021 MQ-25 T1 became the first UAV to refuel another aircraft in flight when it successfully transferred fuel to a US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet during a test flight out of MidAmerica St Louis Airport.

The first unit to operate the MQ-25A will be Unmanned Carrier-Launched Multi-Role Squadron 10 (VUQ-10), which was established at NAS Patuxent River on 1 October 2022 but will ultimately move to Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu in California.

The US Navy’s current MQ-25 programme of record calls of 76 aircraft (including the four EMD aircraft and five system demonstration test articles).

An initial operational capability (IOC) with the MQ-25As, which USNI News has reported as three MQ-25As with trained personnel and equipment to deploy on an MQ-25A-capable aircraft carrier, is not expected before 2029, which is three years later than the US Navy originally planned.