Boeing Advances U.S. Navy F/A-18 Fighter and MQ-25A Unmanned Tanker Teaming With New Software.

The U.S. Navy has moved closer to letting F/A-18 Super Hornet crews control MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tankers in flight after Boeing tested new Link 16-based Manned-Unmanned Teaming software designed for airborne command and control. The capability could eventually give carrier fighters greater flexibility in directing aerial-refueling support during missions, although no MQ-25A or F/A-18 participated in this demonstration and the functionality is not yet operational.

The Boeing-led test took place during Emerald Flag at Eglin Air Force Base and used a Beechcraft 1900D and an E90 King Air as crewed surrogate aircraft to demonstrate airborne command-and-control exchanges over Link 16. Boeing disclosed the development on October 6, 2026, describing the effort as a step toward integrating the capability into the MQ-25A and eventually using it with the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Related Topic: USS Ronald Reagan becomes second U.S. aircraft carrier ready for MQ-25 Stingray unmanned tanker operations

Boeing has flight-tested new Link 16-based Manned-Unmanned Teaming software intended to let U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet crews eventually control MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tankers in flight. The Emerald Flag demonstration used a Beechcraft 1900D and E90 King Air as surrogate aircraft; no F/A-18 or MQ-25A took part in the test. (Picture source: Boeing)

The software is intended to move MQ-25A employment beyond a model centered primarily on preplanned tanker activity and control through a carrier-based mission-control system. Once integrated and validated, a Super Hornet crew could potentially exercise direct airborne control over an unmanned tanker through Link 16, allowing refueling support to respond more quickly to changing tactical conditions.

That capability could directly affect carrier air wing range and flexibility. Strike fighters operating far from the carrier frequently depend on carefully coordinated refueling plans, and changes in threat conditions, aircraft fuel state or mission routing can disrupt those plans. Giving airborne crews the ability to redirect tanker support could reduce dependence on fixed sequencing and provide commanders with more options to sustain aircraft at extended distances.

The MQ-25A is being developed as the U.S. Navy's carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling aircraft and is intended to reduce the burden currently placed on F/A-18E/F Super Hornets performing buddy-tanking missions. By shifting more of the refueling role to the Stingray, the Navy expects to free additional Super Hornets for combat tasks while extending the carrier air wing's effective operating radius.

Boeing developed the new Manned-Unmanned Teaming software with the U.S. Navy, drawing personnel from Phantom Works and the company's MQ-25, F/A-18 and F-22 programs. Boeing describes the software as applicable across different aircraft types, while stating that its goal is to deploy the capability first on the MQ-25A and F/A-18 after the technology has been fully tested and evaluated.

The Emerald Flag event did not demonstrate a Super Hornet directly controlling an MQ-25A in flight. Instead, the Beechcraft 1900D and E90 King Air served as test surrogates to validate airborne networking and command-and-control functions that Boeing intends to mature before integrating them into MQ-25A software.

That distinction is important because the test demonstrated the control concept and software exchanges rather than an operational manned-unmanned refueling mission. Further integration, flight testing, and Navy validation will be required before Super Hornet crews could exercise actual airborne control over a Stingray during carrier operations.

Boeing has previously demonstrated more specific F/A-18 and MQ-25 command functions in simulation, including directing an MQ-25 to deploy its refueling drogue and conduct aerial refueling. The 2026 Emerald Flag flight test, however, was focused on demonstrating command-and-control exchanges between surrogate crewed aircraft using the new software and Link 16.

Link 16 is a widely used tactical data link employed across U.S. and allied combat aviation. Using an existing tactical network could allow the Navy to introduce unmanned tanker control without creating an entirely separate communications architecture for the carrier air wing, while supporting interoperability with aircraft already equipped for Link 16 operations.

For the F/A-18E/F, the most significant potential change would be the ability to treat the MQ-25A as a more responsive airborne refueling asset, rather than only as an unmanned aircraft operating under predetermined tasking and carrier-based control. A fighter crew facing an unexpected extension of a strike route, increased fuel consumption or a delayed recovery could potentially request or redirect tanker support according to the tactical situation if the capability is ultimately validated and fielded.

The concept could also support distributed carrier aviation operations in increasingly contested environments. As U.S. Navy aircraft may be required to operate farther from aircraft carriers to reduce exposure to long-range anti-ship weapons, aerial refueling becomes increasingly important for maintaining strike reach, combat air patrol endurance, and recovery margins.

An MQ-25A that can be repositioned through airborne tactical direction could therefore provide more than additional fuel capacity. It could become a more flexible element of carrier mission planning, allowing refueling support to shift according to changing priorities without requiring every adjustment to originate from the carrier-based mission-control system.

The technology also represents a broader step toward operational manned-unmanned teaming in U.S. naval aviation. Rather than using unmanned aircraft only as independently tasked assets, the Navy is moving toward concepts in which crewed aircraft could directly coordinate unmanned systems during missions and use them to extend reach, persistence or survivability.

For the carrier air wing, the value of the Boeing test will ultimately depend on how much control authority the Navy permits Super Hornet crews to exercise over the MQ-25A, how reliably those commands can be transmitted in contested electromagnetic conditions, and how the control functions are integrated into fighter cockpit workload. Those factors will determine whether the concept becomes a routine tactical tool or remains limited to narrower mission-management functions.

If the capability reaches operational service, combining MQ-25A aerial refueling with airborne Super Hornet control could make carrier-based tanker support more responsive to rapidly changing combat conditions. The immediate test involved only surrogate aircraft, but the longer-term objective is clear: allow U.S. Navy fighter crews to exercise more direct control over unmanned refueling support and use that flexibility to extend the reach and endurance of carrier aviation.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.