The Navy's MQ-25 Stingray has received approval to enter low-rate initial production following production delays, budget reprogramming and a successful first test flight in April.

The Boeing-manufactured MQ-25 has reached its milestone C approval, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao announced today. An LRIP Lot 1 contract for three of the unmanned refuelers will be awarded this summer and will include priced options for Lot 2 and Lot 3 -- a total of eight more aircraft, the service stated.

MQ-25 will primarily serve as an aerial refueler for the carrier air wing and support F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, while also gathering intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data.

“MQ-25 reached milestone C, which is huge because now we have in-flight refueling that’s unmanned,” Cao told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today. “It’s a great capability for unmanned aircraft and refueling.”

The MQ-25A that participated in the April flight test is the first of four Engineering Development Model aircraft that will be delivered to the Navy, and the service plans to conduct additional test flights to validate controls and capabilities before it begins to prepare for carrier qualifications.

In alignment with its announcement today, the Navy outlined plans in recent budget documents to buy three MQ-25s in fiscal year 2026 and another three in FY-27.

Despite reaching milestone C, the program still faces delays in achieving initial operational capability, budget documents also stated. In FY-26, MQ-25 was projected to reach IOC by the third quarter of FY-27. Now, the program will likely reach this by the second quarter of FY-29 -- a nearly two-year delay.