US Navy begins MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tanker LRIP production

The US Navy awarded Boeing the first production (LRIP Lot 1) contract for the MQ-25A Stingray, intended to be the Pentagon’s first operational unmanned aerial refueling tanker and the Navy’s first carrier-based operational UAV. This introduces a new carrier air wing capability—organic unmanned tanking—to free F/A-18s from the refueling mission and extend carrier strike reach.