MQ-25A Stingray 2026 Debut Will Unlock Unmanned Aviation for Carrier Strike Group, Say Officials
SAN DIEGO — The Navy’s first unmanned tanker is set to come to an aircraft carrier in 2026, according to the commander of Naval Air Forces.
The first low-rate production version of Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray will do its first flight tests aboard a carrier in 2026, Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, the commander of Naval Air Forces, said this week at the WEST 2025 conference co-hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute and AFCEA.
The air boss said he’s focused on the platform’s tanking mission and acknowledged it has the potential to do other jobs, but declined to provide details.
“I’m just going to turn the weapons tactics instructors loose and they will exactly figure out how to operate this thing seamlessly in a manned unmanned teaming thing,” he said about integrating MQ-25A with manned platforms. “And that will open up the future for us.”