Aerotime reports, “The US Navy’s first production-representative Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completed its maiden flight on April 25, 2026, taking off from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, in the most significant step yet toward fielding the service’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The flight, originally targeted for the end of 2025, was conducted with a Boeing-owned TA-4J Skyhawk and a US Navy UC-12M Huron acting as chase aircraft. A first attempt on April 22, 2026, was aborted for undisclosed reasons.”
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Tag: MQ-25 Stingray
Navy Eyes First Test Flight of MQ-25 In Spring 2025
Defense Daily reports, “After Boeing delivered the first MQ-25 Stingray to the Navy in February for testing, a lead official said Monday the service is on schedule for the first flight test with that platform in spring 2025.”
Full Story (Defense News – Subscription Publication)
MQ-25 Faces Additional Tests
Aviation Week reports that the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray “program used 2021 to prove its prototype of the unmanned refueling aircraft can perform the basics for the U.S. Navy, and now is looking to ramp up production under the initial engineering and manufacturing development contract and put those aircraft to the test.”
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MQ-25 Completes Deck Handling Tests on Aircraft Carrier
FlightGlobal reports that The Boeing Company and the US Navy “have completed a series of tests to assess the deck handling characteristics of the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned air vehicle (UAV) aboard an aircraft carrier.”
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MQ-25 Stingray Conducts First-Ever Refueling of F-35C
The Navy Times reported that a Boeing MQ-25 Stingray conducted its first inflight refueling with a US Navy F-35C jet last week. The MQ-25 and F-35C took off from the MidAmerica St. Louis airport and refueled at an altitude of 10,000 feet and 225 knot speed. The latest refueling follows prior tests where a MQ-25 refueled an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Full Story (Navy TImes)