The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $562 million fixed-price incentive contract for low-rate initial production of the MQ-25A Stingray, the service’s carrier-based unmanned aerial refuelling aircraft. The award, made through Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, covers three Lot 1 aircraft and long-lead components for three more in Lot 2, with first deliveries expected in 2029.
The contract moves MQ-25 beyond development and test work into production. Boeing’s main workshare is centred in St. Louis, Missouri, where the programme has been assembled through earlier engineering, manufacturing and development contracts. The Navy has framed MQ-25 as a key part of its future carrier air wing, giving the aircraft a dedicated tanker role that will free up manned strike fighters for other missions.
The production award lifts the number of MQ-25 aircraft under contract to 14. One financial filing-based report put the total contract obligation slightly lower, at $552.053 million, but the official Navy figure remains $562 million. The programme’s current schedule points to a long production run, with completion estimates extending to 2031 in that same report.