Boeing postpones delivery of MQ-25A Stingray tanker drones to the US Navy until 2026

US giant Boeing has announced delays in delivering the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refueling vehicle to the US Navy. Reaching initial operational readiness of the drone has been delayed by a year.

Here's What We Know

USNI News, citing US Navy program manager Rear Admiral Stephen Tedford, reports that the drone will not be ready in 2025, but in 2026. The first aerial refueler will be deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

The US Navy wants to order 73 drones. Boeing won an $805m contract in 2018 to build four MQ-25A Stingray drones by August 2024.

In 2020, the US Navy exercised the option and ordered three more refueling drones. The order followed a year after the MQ-25A Stingray first flew in the air as part of one of its tests. The fleet of 73 drones will cost the US Navy $1.3bn.

The MQ-25A Stingray aims to extend the range of fourth-generation F/A-18 Super Hornet deck fighters by performing refueling missions right in the air. Ground trials of the drones are taking place at USS Norfolk in Virginia.

The MQ-25A Stingray measures 15.5 meters in length and has a wingspan of nearly 23 meters (9.5 meters when folded). The unmanned air tanker will be able to reach speeds of up to 620 km/h. It will have a combat radius of over 900km with a payload of 6.8 tonnes.

Source: USNI News