WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy on Sept. 14 awarded Boeing a $562 million contract for initial production of the MQ-25A Stingray, the service’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The Navy says the platform will transform how it projects air power across the Pacific.
The Fixed Price Incentive contract covers Lot 1 Low Rate Initial Production of the unmanned aerial refueling tanker, signaling the Navy’s confidence that the aircraft is ready to move from development and testing to fleet introduction, the service said.
The MQ-25A Stingray is designed to refuel manned fighter jets in flight from an aircraft carrier deck, extending the operational range of carrier air wings by 300 to 700 miles depending on the mission profile. That additional range is considered critical for operations in the western Pacific, where carrier strike groups face anti-ship missile threats that can force them to operate at distances beyond the reach of current manned tanker aircraft.
The first production contract represents a major milestone for a program that has been in development for years. Boeing has been conducting flight testing of Stingray prototypes, including successful autonomous aerial refueling demonstrations with manned Navy aircraft.
The program is central to the Navy’s strategy for maintaining air superiority in contested environments. By placing an unmanned tanker on carrier decks, the Navy frees space and flight deck cycles currently consumed by manned tanker variants of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
For U.S. taxpayers, the fixed-price contract structure means Boeing bears financial risk for cost overruns, a departure from cost-plus arrangements that have historically contributed to defense procurement cost growth.