U.S. Navy MQ-25A Stingray tanker drone anchors future carrier operations in FY2026 plan.

The U.S. Navy’s Acquisition Program 2026 report confirms that the MQ-25A Stingray and the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System are advancing into early operational capability. Together, the systems mark a turning point in how aircraft carriers generate range, endurance, and command and control for future air wings.

In its Acquisition US Program 2026 document released in July 2025, the U.S. Navy offers its clearest view to date of how the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft and the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System are progressing from developmental efforts into deployable fleet assets. According to program documentation and Navy acquisition officials, both systems are now aligned with carrier integration timelines, signaling a shift from experimentation toward sustained operational use aboard nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
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A Boeing unmanned MQ-25 aircraft is given operating directions on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (Picture source: US DoD)

The MQ-25A Stingray is being fielded as the U.S. Navy’s first carrier-based Group 5 Unmanned Aircraft System, with aerial refueling as its primary mission and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance as a secondary role. The aircraft is intended to address two long-standing limitations of carrier strike groups: constrained organic refueling capacity and limited persistence at extended ranges. By assuming the tanker mission, the MQ-25 is expected to free F-A-18E/F Super Hornets from their current “buddy tanker” role, increasing fighter availability while reducing airframe fatigue.

The program originated more than two decades ago under early Navy efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft into carrier aviation. Initially developed as part of the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program, the concept envisioned a stealthy unmanned strike platform. Budget pressure and technical risk ultimately shifted priorities, and in 2016, the Navy restructured the effort as the Carrier-Based Aerial Refueling System to extend the reach of carrier air wings. Boeing won the competition in 2018 with a design derived from earlier demonstrators such as Phantom Ray.

Although designed as a tanker, the MQ-25 has become the Navy’s primary test case for integrating uncrewed aircraft into carrier operations. Naval aviation leadership views the Stingray as an enabling platform to validate deck handling, recovery procedures, and command-and-control architectures that will support future unmanned systems operating from carriers.

Key technical milestones were achieved using Boeing’s T1 prototype, first flown in 2019. In 2021, the aircraft successfully refueled F-A-18E/F Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning II fighters, and E-2D Hawkeye aircraft, demonstrating safe precision refueling across multiple carrier platforms. The T1 also completed deck handling trials aboard USS George H.W. Bush, confirming compatibility with the carrier flight deck environment.

The same carrier later hosted Lockheed Martin’s MD-5E ground control station, now central to the Navy’s emerging Unmanned Air Warfare Center afloat. This capability is delivered through the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System program, which provides the control stations, communications links, and networks required to operate the MQ-25 from shipboard and shore-based locations.

Under the FY 2026 acquisition plan, the MQ-25 enters a critical test phase. All four Engineering Development Models and one System Demonstration Test Article are scheduled for delivery to the test enterprise, with the first flight planned for the first quarter of FY 2026. Procurement funding in FY 2026 supports three Low-Rate Initial Production aircraft and long-lead items for a second LRIP lot, alongside continued investment in mission control infrastructure.

Technically, the MQ-25 measures about 15.5 meters in length, with a 22.9-meter wingspan extended and 9.5 meters folded. Powered by a Rolls-Royce AE 3007N turbofan, the aircraft is designed to deliver roughly 7,250 kilograms of fuel at a radius of around 930 kilometers, enabling refueling support to multiple aircraft per sortie. While Boeing has displayed growth configurations featuring sensors or strike payloads, Navy officials emphasize that near-term efforts remain focused on safe carrier integration.

Strategically, the Navy views the MQ-25 as a force multiplier rather than a niche support asset. By expanding the effective reach of carrier air wings without increasing fighter numbers, the Stingray is positioned as a foundational step toward future carrier air wings combining manned and uncrewed systems in coordinated operations at sea.