# MQ-25 Stingray
## The tanker is flying. Operational capability is still ahead.
The Navy’s fleet-representative MQ-25 first flew on **April 25, 2026**, and received production approval on **May 18**. Those are material advances, but not delivery of the operational carrier tanker promised for 2024. The latest acquisition report reviewed forecasts **initial operational capability in February 2029—54 months after its original August 2024 objective**. Earlier refueling demonstrations used Boeing’s T1 prototype. The reviewed public evidence does not establish the production system’s operational effectiveness or a reconciled fleet-delivery total. [S01 · pp. 8, 10, 12, 25](#source-s01), [S03 · pp. 177–179](#source-s03), [S06](#source-s06)
**Evidence cutoff and review:** September 12, 2026, 11:30 a.m. EDT / 15:30 UTC. **Edition 1.0.** A dated public-record snapshot, not live coverage. Forecasts remain forecasts even when their expected dates have passed.
| Then · original objective | Current · forecast | Demonstrated · actual test |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IOC August 2024 · 2018 APB | IOC February 2029 · 54 months later | EDM 3 first flight · April 25, 2026 |
| [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) | [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) | [S06 · flight announcement](#source-s06) |
## The promise, the revision, and the forecast
MQ-25 is intended to take aerial-refueling work off carrier-based F/A-18E/F fighters, with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as a secondary mission. This edition follows the **MQ-25 Air System, program number 462**, and relevant carrier-integration evidence. The Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS) is a separate, interdependent program; it is not silently folded into every aircraft-program total. [S01 · pp. 5, 7, 13](#source-s01)
At its August 2018 development award, the Navy described an **$805.3 million ceiling** covering design, development, fabrication, testing, delivery and support of four aircraft, including integration for IOC by 2024. That was the original development contract’s scope, not a fixed $805.3 million price for the entire future fleet. The MSAR preserves the original August 24, 2018 Acquisition Program Baseline (APB), a September 12, 2024 revised baseline, and its subsequent estimates. [S02 · opening two paragraphs](#source-s02), [S01 · pp. 10, 22](#source-s01)
| Milestone | 2018 original objective | 2024 revised objective / threshold | Latest actual or forecast |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fleet-representative first flight | Sep 2021 | May 2025 / Nov 2025 | **Actual:** Apr 25, 2026 [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) |
| Low-rate production decision | Feb 2023 | Jun 2025 / Dec 2025 | **Actual:** May 18, 2026 [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) |
| First carrier flight | Dec 2022 | Mar 2026 / Mar 2027 | **Forecast:** Feb 2027 [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) |
| Initial operational capability | Aug 2024 | Jul 2026 / Jul 2027 | **Forecast:** Feb 2029 [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) |
| Initial operational test & evaluation | Jan 2024 | Nov 2026 / May 2028 | **Forecast:** Feb 2029 [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) |
| Full-rate production decision | Apr 2026 | Jan 2028 / Jul 2029 | **Forecast:** Apr 2030 [S01 · p. 10](#source-s01) |
The **54-month comparison** is between the original IOC objective and the current forecast, not two actual delivery dates. February 2029 is also **31 months after** the revised July 2026 objective and **19 months after** its July 2027 threshold. The report marks a baseline deviation and says another APB revision will follow the production decision. This edition does not relabel that forecast as an approved new baseline. “First flight” in this table is the fleet-representative program milestone, not T1’s 2019 flight. [S01 · pp. 9–11](#source-s01)
### Why the schedule moved
The Navy attributes delays to technical and production difficulties, test discoveries, weather and flight-clearance documentation; its IOC explanation also cites the FY2025 funding mark, production-line adjustments and Boeing’s labor strike. These are **attributed explanations**, not a calculation of each cause’s contribution. GAO’s July 2026 assessment separately describes difficulties building test aircraft, including wiring, vibration monitoring and parts qualification, plus the risks of overlapping testing with initial production. GAO also records first flight and production approval as post-review updates. [S01 · pp. 7–11](#source-s01), [S08 · p. 152, Program Performance / Program Office Comments](#source-s08)
## A dated program history
These are selected turning points, not an exhaustive event log. Decisions, contract awards and tests mean different things. Planned milestones are explicitly labeled.
| Date | Type / status | Event and significance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aug 30, 2018 | Contract / reported event | **Development award.** Boeing receives the initial development award: $805.3m ceiling, four aircraft, stated IOC by 2024. [S02](#source-s02) |
| Sep 2019 | Test / reported event | **T1 flies.** First flight of the Boeing-owned demonstrator; not the later fleet-representative milestone. [S01](#source-s01) |
| Sep 13, 2021 | Test / reported event | **Three receiver types demonstrated.** T1 refuels an F-35C, after F/A-18 and E-2D demonstrations earlier in 2021. [S04](#source-s04) |
| Dec 2021 | Test / reported event | **Carrier deck demonstration.** T1 day/night deck-handling work aboard USS George H.W. Bush; not a carrier launch or recovery. [S05](#source-s05) |
| Sep 28, 2022 | Contract / reported event | **Long-lead procurement.** $47.468m advance-acquisition award for LRIP Lot 1. Not delivery of the lot. [S15](#source-s15) |
| Oct 2023 | Funding / reported event | **Development extension changes funding.** MSAR records approval of an above-threshold reprogramming from procurement to RDT&E after the LRIP delay; this edition does not reconcile the transfer amount. [S01](#source-s01) |
| Mar 29, 2024 | Contract / reported event | **Two more demonstration aircraft.** P00067 adds SDTA aircraft and related tooling/obsolescence work. $657.09m action; $288.635m obligated at award. [S14](#source-s14) |
| Sep 12, 2024 | Decision / reported event | **Baseline revised.** EMD extension reflected in a revised APB; IOC objective July 2026, threshold July 2027. [S01](#source-s01) |
| May 2025 | Delivery / reported event | **First air test vehicle received.** DOT&E reports Navy receipt; not a formal-acceptance tally or an operational delivery. [S03](#source-s03) |
| Mar 2026 | Delivery / reported event | **Carrier control infrastructure.** MSAR reports a deployable MQ-25-capable UAWC aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. The air system has not thereby reached IOC. [S01](#source-s01) |
| Apr 25, 2026 | Test / reported event | **EDM 3 takes flight.** First fleet-representative flight, approximately two hours, using the UMCS ground-control system. [S06](#source-s06) |
| May 18, 2026 | Decision / reported event | **Production approved.** Milestone C / KP-6 approves entry into production and deployment; Navy announces it May 19. Not IOC. [S01](#source-s01) |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Contract / reported event | **Norfolk facilities awarded.** MQ-25 laydown construction contract: $117.755087m value, $65.817578m first obligation increment. [S16](#source-s16) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Contract / reported event | **EMD engineering scope added.** P00094: $12.680717m for component integration and security-assessment corrections, obligated at award per announcement. [S17](#source-s17) |
| Feb 2027 | Test / forecast | **First carrier flight.** Current MSAR forecast; no actual carrier flight established by this edition. [S01](#source-s01) |
| FY2028 | Delivery / forecast | **First operational delivery.** Fielding-plan forecast, not test-vehicle receipt and not IOC. [S01](#source-s01) |
| Feb 2029 | Decision / forecast | **Initial operational capability.** Current forecast, 54 months after the original August 2024 objective. [S01](#source-s01) |
## The money: estimates are not spending
### A like-for-like acquisition comparison
The current acquisition estimate is **$13.8819 billion in constant 2018 dollars**, compared with the original **$12.6183 billion** and revised **$13.3244 billion** objectives. This is about **10.01% above the original** and **4.18% above the revised** baseline. It is an estimate of acquisition resources, not a bill already paid. [S01 · pp. 13, 15](#source-s01)
| Acquisition category ($m, constant 2018) | 2018 original objective | 2024 revised objective | Current estimate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| RDT&E | 3,489.3 | 3,691.5 | 4,013.0 |
| Procurement | 8,766.1 | 9,048.2 | 9,168.3 |
| Military construction | 362.9 | 584.7 | 700.6 |
| Total acquisition | 12,618.3 | 13,324.4 | 13,881.9 |
Total planned aircraft remain 76, but the mix changes from **4 development + 72 procurement** to **9 development + 67 procurement**. Ground-control stations are excluded from that aircraft count. Thus an unchanged total does not mean unchanged development scope or procurement quantity. The source’s current **$200.734 million average procurement unit cost** divides then-year procurement cost by 67; it is not a quoted flyaway price or the cost of every individual aircraft. [S01 · pp. 13, 15](#source-s01)
The MSAR also expresses the current acquisition estimate as **$19.4408 billion in then-year dollars**. Comparing that directly with the original $12.6183 billion in 2018 dollars would mix price bases. Its **$37.0193 billion then-year operating-and-support estimate** is a separate life-cycle category, not part of the acquisition number and not money spent today. That support estimate assumes **74 aircraft to sustain, a 20-year unit service life and operations in FY2029–FY2059**; those are its own scope assumptions, not the 76-aircraft acquisition denominator. [S01 · pp. 13, 18–19](#source-s01)
For historical execution context, the report lists **$4.4349 billion in appropriations** and **$2.3281 billion in expenditures “actual to date.”** It does not provide a transaction-level reconciliation or a separate cutoff for those cells. We retain them as source-reported aggregates—not September 12 cash balances, not independently audited spending, and not amounts to add to annual budgets or contract records. [S01 · p. 25, Acquisition Funding](#source-s01)
### Selected FY2026 and FY2027 funding records
All amounts below are **nominal U.S. dollars in millions**, converted from the budget exhibits’ thousands. They concern specific accounts and rows, not the entire program. A President’s Budget request does not become enacted funding because it is printed in an official book.
| Fiscal record / scope | $ million | Stage | Receipt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **FY2026** · Aircraft Procurement, Navy / main MQ-25 row. FY2026 original request shown in DD1414 | 407.046 | Request | [S10](#source-s10) |
| **FY2026** · Aircraft Procurement, Navy / main MQ-25 row. FY2026 discretionary enacted / appropriated base | 387.686 | Enacted / appropriated base | [S10](#source-s10) |
| **FY2026** · Aircraft Procurement, Navy / main MQ-25 row. FY2026 PL119-21 spending-plan column; not an obligation | 100.000 | Spending plan | [S09](#source-s09) |
| **FY2026** · Aircraft Procurement, Navy / advance procurement. Advance procurement for FY2027, separate row | 52.191 | Enacted / appropriated base | [S10](#source-s10) |
| **FY2027** · Aircraft Procurement, Navy / main MQ-25 row. Net after prior-year advance procurement; three-aircraft budget quantity | 771.177 | Request | [S09](#source-s09) |
| **FY2027** · Aircraft Procurement, Navy / advance procurement. New advance procurement for FY2028, separate row | 80.965 | Request | [S09](#source-s09) |
| **FY2027** · RDT&E, Navy / PE 0207255N (shared). Entire PE request; no supported MQ-25 Air System-only split | 513.308 | Request | [S11](#source-s11) |
For FY2026, the DD1414 shows the main procurement row moving from **$407.046 million requested** to **$387.686 million appropriated base**, a **$19.360 million reduction** labeled “Obsolescence unjustified request.” The P-1 separately places **$100 million** in its **PL119-21 spending-plan column**, for a main-row FY2026 total of $487.686 million; **$52.191 million of advance procurement is another row**. The allocation plan describes intended support for LRIP Lot 1. Its March 2026 planned award date is not evidence that the award occurred in March. [S10 · N-15](#source-s10), [S09 · pp. 97–98](#source-s09), [S12 · p. 59, item 14](#source-s12)
For FY2027, the procurement exhibit shows **$823.368 million gross**, subtracts **$52.191 million of prior-year advance procurement**, and arrives at a **$771.177 million net request** for the main row. It requests **$80.965 million of new advance procurement separately**. Counting gross plus both advance-procurement amounts as new FY2027 money would double-count the prior-year portion. The three-aircraft procurement quantity is a budget quantity, not a delivered-aircraft count. [S09 · pp. 97–98, rows 17–18](#source-s09)
### The RDT&E line changes—and is shared
The FY2027 R-1 shows **$513.308 million requested under PE 0207255N, MQ-25 Stingray**. The MSAR explicitly records an FY2027 realignment from **0605414N, Unmanned Carrier Aviation**, to **0207255N**, retaining project 3278 in RDT&E account 1319N and changing budget activity 05 to 07. This is a budget crosswalk, not evidence that an executed transfer has been reconciled. [S11 · p. 33, line 237](#source-s11), [S01 · p. 16](#source-s01)
**Both MSAR RDT&E rows are marked Shared.** The older row’s note limits sharing with UMCS to **through FY2018**; the destination row says it shares a “PU” with **Stingray to the Fight**. The source does not expand “PU” or provide a program-only dollar split here. We therefore do not attribute all $513.308 million to the MQ-25 Air System or join the two PEs into an apparently seamless spending series. Procurement line **0449** is a line-item identifier, not P-1 display sequence 17; spares line 0605 and the report’s OTHER/0449C note must also remain separate. [S01 · p. 16, Shared definition and row notes](#source-s01)
## Contracts: a ceiling, an action, and an obligation differ
The program-to-award connection is explicit: the MSAR names Boeing’s **N00019-18-C-1012**, effort 1, as MQ-25 Engineering and Manufacturing Development. **N0001918C1012** is its hyphen-free database form. The confirmed link supports examining that award; it does not make it the whole program. [S01 · p. 22](#source-s01)
| Date / award | Action value or ceiling ($m) | Obligated at award ($m) | Scope / receipt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Aug 30, 2018** · Boeing · original development. `N00019-18-C-1012` | 805.3 **ceiling** | Not stated in cited release | Initial four-aircraft development scope. Not a fleet-wide cap. [S02](#source-s02) |
| **Sep 28, 2022** · Boeing · advance acquisition. `N0001922C0048` | 47.468 **action value** | 47.468 | LRIP Lot 1 long-lead procurement; not an aircraft-delivery event. [S15](#source-s15) |
| **Mar 29, 2024** · Boeing · development expansion. `N0001918C1012` / `P00067` | 657.09 **action value** | 288.635 | Two additional SDTA aircraft, tooling, communications and obsolescence work. [S14](#source-s14) |
| **Jul 17, 2026** · Grunley · Norfolk facilities. `N40085-26-C-0017` | 117.755087 **action value** | 65.817578 | Incrementally funded construction; not aircraft procurement. [S16](#source-s16) |
| **Aug 31, 2026** · Boeing · engineering / integration. `N0001918C1012` / `P00094` | 12.680717 **action value** | 12.680717 | Component updates and mission-computer security-assessment corrections. [S17](#source-s17) |
The fresh USAspending response reports **$1,843,827,977.96 in cumulative obligations** for the EMD award, with a **June 1, 2026 last-modified date**, retrieved September 12. That is one database award aggregate, not the MQ-25 total and not a September 12 transaction cutoff. **We do not add the August 31 announcement to it** without reconciling modifications and reporting coverage. Nor do we sum this aggregate with historical actions already potentially inside it. [S13 · exact JSON fields in appendix](#source-s13), [S17 · Boeing / P00094](#source-s17)
For another view, the MSAR’s **effort-1** contract block reports an initial $805.3 million ceiling and current **$1,976.7 million** target/ceiling, with modification **P00089 dated April 22, 2026**. Its narrower CLIN scope and reporting dates differ from the award database. Scope additions and mixed contract types prevent a simple “ceiling growth equals overrun” conclusion. The 2024 modification, for example, adds two demonstration aircraft, tooling and obsolescence work; its $657.09 million action value was not all obligated at award. [S01 · pp. 22–23](#source-s01), [S14 · Boeing / P00067](#source-s14)
The Norfolk facilities award is included because its official description explicitly names MQ-25. It illustrates another boundary: **$117.755087 million of contract value, but $65.817578 million for the first obligation increment**. It is construction—not another aircraft buy. This selected contract list is not a complete inventory of prime contracts, orders, modifications or subcontractors. [S16 · Grunley / N40085-26-C-0017](#source-s16)
## What has actually been demonstrated or delivered?
| Observation / date | What the evidence supports | What it does not establish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Aerial refueling** · 2021 | T1 refueled F/A-18, E-2D and F-35C aircraft. [S04](#source-s04) | Boeing-owned prototype; not proof of the fleet system’s complete refueling requirement. |
| **Carrier deck handling** · Dec 2021 | T1 completed day/night deck-handling tests aboard USS George H.W. Bush. [S05](#source-s05) | Deck integration is not carrier launch/recovery or operational tanker service. |
| **Development test-vehicle receipt** · May 2025 | DOT&E reports Navy receipt of the first air test vehicle. [S03](#source-s03) | No reconciled formal-acceptance or September 12 delivered total; assembly milestones use different descriptions. |
| **Fleet-representative flight** · Apr 25, 2026 | EDM 3 flew for approximately two hours with UMCS control; basic handling and systems tested. [S06](#source-s06) | Not carrier flight, completed operational testing or IOC. |
| **Production authority** · May 18, 2026 | Milestone C approves LRIP Lots 1 and 2 (three aircraft each) and Lot 3 advance acquisition. [S01](#source-s01) | Authority to award contracts, not proof of those awards or six delivered aircraft. |
| **Full refueling / carrier-suitability requirements** · 2026-04-21 (report label) | MSAR demonstrated-performance cells remain TBD. [S01](#source-s01) | At least 14,000 lb at 500 nm is the current estimate/threshold; 16,000 lb is the objective. Nimitz/Ford suitability is not marked demonstrated. |
| **Initial operational capability** · Feb 2029 | February 2029 in the reviewed MSAR. [S01](#source-s01) | Not an actual operational declaration. First operational delivery is separately forecast for FY2028. |
**Delivery is a particularly important gap.** DOT&E says the Navy received its first air test vehicle in May 2025; the MSAR separately dates EDM 3 assembly completion to July 2025. These descriptions do not establish equivalent acceptance criteria, and this edition does not silently force them into a single handover date. The MSAR’s end-item delivery cells are blank/dashes; its contract-effort table’s “0 delivered” is not a fleet-aircraft inventory. **A verified September 12 accepted/delivered total is not available in this evidence set.** [S03 · pp. 177–178](#source-s03), [S01 · pp. 7, 22, 25](#source-s01)
The distinction extends to the carrier. The MSAR reports a deployable MQ-25-capable Unmanned Air Warfare Center aboard **USS Theodore Roosevelt in March 2026**. That is carrier control infrastructure, not a declaration that an operational MQ-25 tanker detachment exists. Its **end-August 2026** target for USS Ronald Reagan is not promoted to an actual event simply because the date is past; this review did not establish its completion. [S01 · p. 7](#source-s01)
The Navy’s published performance table keeps **Nimitz/Ford carrier suitability** and the refueling requirement’s **demonstrated performance as TBD**. It lists a **16,000-pound objective**, a **14,000-pound threshold**, and a current estimate of at least 14,000 pounds delivered at 500 nautical miles from the carrier. The prototype demonstrations do not establish that entire fleet requirement. In its **FY2025** assessment, DOT&E found insufficient evidence to assess operational effectiveness, suitability and survivability and recommended an adequate operational assessment before IOC. That retrospective judgment is not a claim to know all testing conducted since the report. [S01 · p. 12](#source-s01), [S03 · pp. 178–179](#source-s03)
## What the public record still cannot settle
- **The next operational result.** First carrier flight is forecast for February 2027; first operational delivery for FY2028; IOC for February 2029. None is an actual outcome in the reviewed MSAR. A formal declaration and supporting operational test evidence would materially change this edition. [S01 · pp. 10, 25](#source-s01)
- **The post-Milestone-C award and baseline position.** The report authorizes LRIP Lots 1 and 2, three aircraft each, and advance acquisition for Lot 3. Authorization to award is not an executed aircraft contract. This review did not independently verify a subsequent LRIP production award or a superseding approved APB; that is a bounded gap, not a claim that neither exists. [S01 · p. 24](#source-s01)
- **A date on the cover is not a complete version history.** The MSAR says effective April 21, 2026 but includes an April 22 contract modification, the April 25 flight, and May 18 production approval. The original same-day retrieval reported HTTP Last-Modified July 29. Neither the cover nor that HTTP header establishes the public-release date of every included fact. Event dates, document labels and retrieval dates are preserved separately. [S01 · pp. 1, 8, 10, 22, 24](#source-s01)
- **Not every official table agrees with itself.** The production page pairs six LRIP aircraft and 7.9% with a rationale saying the quantity exceeds 10%, and labels 76 as total procurement while the acquisition table separates 67 procurement plus nine development aircraft. We use the expressly authorized six-aircraft lots, but do not repair or chart the conflicting percentage/denominator. [S01 · pp. 13, 24](#source-s01)
- **The financial perimeter is incomplete.** Shared program elements, separately managed UMCS, construction, spares, reporting lag, modifications and incomplete execution records prevent a dollar-by-dollar program ledger. Missing or withheld information is not zero. There is no supported total of “wasted money” in these records.
## How to read this edition
**Request** means a proposed budget amount. **Enacted/appropriated base** is the funding position reported after congressional and presidential action, not proof it has all been obligated. **Spending plan** is the source’s allocation presentation. **Obligation** is a reported government commitment; **expenditure/outlay** concerns disbursement, with source-specific coverage. **Contract value or ceiling** does not establish either. The tables retain their fiscal year, scope, price basis and source labels.
**Production approval**, **airframe assembly**, **test-vehicle receipt**, **formal acceptance**, **operational delivery**, **IOC**, and **demonstrated effectiveness** are distinct observations. An agency or contractor announcement establishes what that party reported; a government oversight assessment provides a different evidentiary lens.
The cutoff review combined the existing same-day official PDFs with fresh official-site searches for MQ-25, recent contracts, tests, production and IOC; direct budget/API retrievals; and browser retrieval of Navy, NAVAIR, acquisition-report and contract pages. Direct HTTP access to several military/GAO pages returned 403, while browser retrieval and the earlier preserved receipts supplied readable evidence. The P-1, R-1 and DD1414 fresh downloads matched the earlier hashes; the EMD award API was refreshed. Congress.gov’s current CRS product page could not be inspected, so it is not used to establish the latest position. This is a substantive but bounded review, not a guarantee that every current public record was discovered.
## Source appendix
Page references below distinguish **PDF page number** from the page printed on the document. All sources were reviewed September 12, 2026. Document and event dates are listed separately when they differ. Links open the original publisher’s material; PDF page anchors are navigation aids and depend on the reader. The downloadable source records include receipt hashes and access limitations. The page does not mirror incidental personal contact details or third-party photographs from government documents.
### S01 · MQ-25 FY2027 President’s Budget MSAR
**Department of the Navy / WHS · Cover effective: Apr 21, 2026; retrieved version includes later events.** [Original source](https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/Selected_Acquisition_Reports/PB_2027_MSARs/MQ-25_MSAR_FY2027_PBv2.pdf#page=10)
PDF and printed pages 1 (cover), 5 (mission), 7–9 (history), 10–11 (schedule), 12 (performance), 13 and 15 (acquisition estimate / unit costs), 16 (funding crosswalk), 18–19 (O&S and assumptions), 22–23 (EMD contract), 24 (LRIP), 25 (deliveries / funding / fielding).
Back to: [Promise](#promise) · [Money](#money) · [Contracts](#contracts) · [Outcomes](#outcomes) · [Limits](#limits).
### S02 · Navy awards Boeing $805.3 million contract to design, build MQ-25A Stingray
**NAVAIR · Aug 30, 2018.** [Original source](https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/navy-awards-boeing-8053-million-contract-design-build-mq-25a-stingray/wed-11142018-2130)
Opening two paragraphs: August 30 award, $805.3m ceiling, four aircraft and IOC by 2024. Page publication label takes precedence over the November date embedded in the migrated URL.
Back to: [Promise](#promise).
### S03 · FY2025 Annual Report — MQ-25 chapter
**Director, Operational Test & Evaluation · Mar 2026.** [Original source](https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub/reports/FY2025/Other/2025Annual-Report.pdf#page=188)
PDF pp. 188–190 / printed pp. 177–179. Page 177 opening receipt statement; p. 178 Program and Test Adequacy; pp. 178–179 Performance and Recommendation. Retrospective FY2025 assessment, with November 2025 TEMP update.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### S04 · MQ-25 conducts first air-to-air refueling with F-35C
**U.S. Navy / NAVAIR · Sep 14, 2021.** [Original source](https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/2773685/mq-25-conducts-first-air-to-air-refueling-with-f-35c/)
Opening paragraph identifies Boeing-owned T1; paragraph beginning ‘The integrated Navy and Boeing’ dates the F-35C event September 13; paragraph beginning ‘Earlier this summer’ identifies F/A-18 and E-2D demonstrations.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### S05 · Navy completes initial carrier demo for MQ-25 program
**NAVAIR · Dec 20, 2021.** [Original source](https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/Navy-completes-initial-carrier-demo-MQ-25-program/Wed-12152021-1336)
Paragraphs beginning ‘The government team’ and ‘Once underway’: T1 carrier integration and day/night deck handling. This is not a carrier flight announcement.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### S06 · MQ-25A Stingray achieves successful first flight
**NAVAIR · Apr 27, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/MQ-25A-Stingray-achieves-successful-first-flight-advancing-future-naval-aviation/Sun-04262026)
First two body paragraphs: flight on April 25, approximately two hours, UMCS MD-5 control, basic flight controls, engine performance and handling.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### S07 · Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray secures Milestone C approval
**U.S. Navy · May 19, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4495731/navys-mq-25a-stingray-secures-milestone-c-approval/)
Opening paragraph announces Milestone C / transition to LRIP. Exact decision date May 18 comes from MSAR pp. 8, 10, 24, not the May 19 news date.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### S08 · Weapon Systems Annual Assessment, GAO-26-108457
**U.S. Government Accountability Office · Jul 2026.** [Original source](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-108457.pdf#page=163)
PDF pp. 163–164 / printed pp. 151–152. Page 152 Program Performance, Software and Cybersecurity, Other Program Issues, and Program Office Comments; earlier review position followed by April/May event updates.
Back to: [Timeline](#timeline).
### S09 · FY2027 P-1 procurement programs
**Defense Comptroller · Apr 2026.** [Original source](https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2027/FY2027_p1.pdf#page=102)
PDF pp. 102–103 / printed pp. 97–98; 1506N Aircraft Procurement, Navy; row 17 MQ-25 main / Less: Advance Procurement (PY), row 18 Advance Procurement (CY); dollars in thousands. FY2026 columns are on p. 97 and FY2027 columns continue on p. 98.
Back to: [Money](#money).
### S10 · FY2026 DD1414 Base for Reprogramming Actions
**Defense Comptroller · Document date not independently established.** [Original source](https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/execution/FY_2026_DD_1414_Base_for_Reprogramming_Actions.pdf#page=94)
PDF p. 94 / printed Navy N-15; 1506N, MQ-25 and MQ-25 Advance Procurement rows; FY2026 Appropriated Base, columns b–i. Main request 407,046; reduction 19,360; resulting base 387,686 (all $000).
Back to: [Money](#money).
### S11 · FY2027 R-1 research, development, test and evaluation
**Defense Comptroller · Apr 2026.** [Original source](https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2027/FY2027_r1.pdf#page=38)
PDF p. 38 / printed p. 33; 1319N, line 237, PE 0207255N MQ-25 Stingray, BA 07; FY2027 discretionary request 513,308 ($000). Read with MSAR p. 16 shared-scope notes.
Back to: [Money](#money).
### S12 · FY2026 Mandatory Funding Allocation Plan
**Defense Comptroller · Document date not independently established.** [Original source](https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/news/FY2026_Mandatory_Funding_Allocation_Plan.pdf#page=63)
PDF p. 63 / printed p. 59; Section 20007, item 14, Accelerate MQ-25 production. $100m allocation, LRIP Lot 1 intent and March 2026 planned award; summary on PDF p. 60 / printed p. 56.
Back to: [Money](#money).
### S13 · Award detail: N0001918C1012
**U.S. Treasury / USAspending · Award record last modified: Jun 1, 2026.** [Original source](https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_AWD_N0001918C1012_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-/)
JSON pointers /piid, /generated_unique_award_id, /total_obligation, /period_of_performance/last_modified_date, /base_exercised_options and /base_and_all_options. Published aggregate is total_obligation, not either option-value field.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts).
### S14 · Contracts for March 29, 2024
**Department of Defense contract announcements · Mar 29, 2024.** [Original source](https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/3725457/contracts-for-mar-29-2024/)
NAVY section, Boeing paragraph; contract N0001918C1012, modification P00067. $657,090,000 action; $288,635,000 FY2023 RDT&E obligated at award; two additional SDTA aircraft plus related scope.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts).
### S15 · Contracts for September 28, 2022
**Department of Defense contract announcements · Sep 28, 2022.** [Original source](https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/3173663/contracts-for-sep-28-2022/)
NAVY section, Boeing $47,468,000 advance-acquisition paragraph; N0001922C0048; FY2022 aircraft procurement obligated at award. Long-lead purpose also documented in MSAR p. 8.
Back to: [Timeline](#timeline).
### S16 · Contracts for July 17, 2026
**Department of War contract announcements · Jul 17, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4549225/contracts-for-july-17-2026/)
NAVY section, first paragraph (Grunley); N40085-26-C-0017; $117,755,087 facilities contract and $65,817,578 first obligation increment from FY2024/FY2026 MILCON.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts).
### S17 · Contracts for August 31, 2026
**Department of War contract announcements · Aug 31, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4586879/contracts-for-aug-31-2026/)
NAVY section, Boeing paragraph; N0001918C1012 / P00094; $12,680,717 action and same amount of FY2026 RDT&E to be obligated at award; component engineering / security-assessment corrections.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts).
## Edition history
**September 12, 2026 · 1.0 — First complete MQ-25 edition.** Adds the narrative, preserved baseline comparison, selected financial and contract records, demonstrated-results analysis, source appendix and static program page. The earlier six-claim calibration remains intact and is not relabeled as a full dossier. No earlier edition is overwritten. The original research cutoff is retained. Collection edition 1.0 adds home, method, source and correction navigation alongside the separately reviewed KC-46A record; it does not extend MQ-25’s factual cutoff. No Sentinel edition is included.