Stingray set for carrier test
The MQ-25 Stingray performed the first-ever UAV refuelling of a manned aircraft in June 2021. (Photo: Boeing)
If it stays on track for IOC in 2025, the Stingray unmanned refuelling aircraft will have gone from contract to carrier in under seven years.
The MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tanker aircraft for the USN is moving towards IOC in 2025, CAPT Chad Reed, PMA-268 programme manager at Naval Air Systems Command, said on 2 August during a briefing at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space conference.
Reed said that the high-priority programme reflects the ‘vital importance’ of fielding Stingray ‘as soon as possible as an accelerated acquisition programme’.
If the IOC schedule holds, it would mean that the Stingray programme goes ‘from contract to carrier’ in six and a half years, he added.
Boeing is building seven MQ-25A UAVs (four for engineering development and three for system
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
![US approves $16.5 billion in ‘emergency’ sales for air defence equipment for Middle East allies]()
US approves $16.5 billion in ‘emergency’ sales for air defence equipment for Middle East allies
The United Arab Emirates has taken the lion’s share of this round, with the US supporting its F-16 fleet and signing off on possible sales for more AMRAAM AIM-120 missiles and a counter-drone system.
-
![Eastern European helicopter modernisation could open doors for Western manufacturers]()
Eastern European helicopter modernisation could open doors for Western manufacturers
With some Eastern European countries already upgrading their helicopter fleets to incorporate Western technology, the region presents potential future opportunities for defence companies.
-
![UK E-7 Wedgetail delay down to a “technology issue”, as MoD grapples with slipping timelines]()
UK E-7 Wedgetail delay down to a “technology issue”, as MoD grapples with slipping timelines
The first of three E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, originally ordered in 2019, is now expected to be delivered to the RAF this year after multiple “difficulties”.
