As the Navy celebrates the first flight of its unmanned robot refueler, the service’s latest budget documents show the aircraft won’t be operational until at least 2029—another delay for the troubled program.
The MQ-25 A Stingray was originally supposed to reach initial operating capability, or IOC, by 2024. That was pushed to 2026, and then slipped to 2027. And Navy budget documents released this week show that the initial aircraft is now scheduled to be operational roughly five years past the original deadline.
“The latest projection for MQ-25 IOC is February 2029, and the program continues to look for opportunities to mitigate additional schedule risk,” according to Navy budget documents. The service did not immediately comment on the delays.
A production model of the Boeing-made MQ-25A Stingray flew for the first time on Saturday, the company said in a news release this week. The autonomous robot refueler taxied, took off, landed, and responded to multiple commands during the two-hour demonstration. It’s one of four Engineering Development Model aircraft being built for the Navy, with the goal of taking refueling missions off the plate of F/A-18 Super Hornets in future fights. A company spokesperson deferred comment on the delays to the Navy.
The MQ-25 program of record calls for 76 aircraft. Four of them are engineering development models and five are System Demonstration Test Articles, according to the Navy’s budget. In 2027, the service is requesting $771 million to buy three of the drone refuelers.
A test version of the MQ-25 prototype had its first flight in 2019 and has since refueled an F/A-18 Super Hornet, E-2D Hawkeye and F-35C Lightning II, according to the company’s website.
The Defense Department’s internal reports have highlighted the yearslong issues with the program, including COVID-19 impacts on Boeing suppliers, aircraft design woes, and quality issues with the aircraft.
Rear Adm. Tony Rossi, the Navy’s program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, called the milestone a “landmark achievement” in a Monday press release.
“This flight demonstrates our progress in delivering a carrier-based refueling capability that will significantly extend the reach and lethality of our fleet,” Rossi said in the release.
Last week, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg teased the first flight during the company’s first quarter earnings call, and said he didn’t expect any additional program cost adjustments.
“We are now one step closer to providing this first-of-its-kind capability to further enable the U.S. to project power worldwide,” Ortberg said. “Overall, I’m pleased with the progress our [defense] development programs are making, and there are no major [estimate at completion] adjustments.”
Boeing and the Navy are conducting additional flight tests in Illinois at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, with plans to move demonstrations to Maryland’s Naval Air Station Patuxent River for carrier qualifications, the company said in its news release.
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