US Navy will receive three additional MQ-25 unmanned refueling aircraft from Boeing.

The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a contract modification for three additional MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling aircraft, bringing the total number of aircraft Boeing is manufacturing to seven.

Boeing MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling aircraft. (Picture source Boeing)

“We’re honored to have the Navy’s confidence in our system design and performance that is evident from this additional order,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing’s MQ-25 program director. “This order establishes uninterrupted production of the first MQ-25 aircraft and lines up with the Navy’s MQ-25 test and training plans for fleet introduction. The MQ-25 program is vital in ensuring the Navy can deliver a critical unmanned aerial refueling capability to the carrier air wing.”

This $84.7 million modification exercises options for three MQ-25 system demonstration test articles, and was an option identified in the original $805 million contract for four aircraft awarded in August 2018.

Early flight testing of Boeing’s MQ-25 test asset, T1, is contributing to program progress. The company recently concluded the first round of flight testing for T1, resulting in nearly 30 hours in the air at various speeds and altitudes. The aircraft is now undergoing a planned modification that includes the installation of an aerial refueling store (ARS) under the left wing. Flight testing with the ARS will resume later this year.

The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an aerial refueling drone that resulted from the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program, which grew out of the earlier Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. The MQ-25 first flew on 19 September 2019.

The MQ-25 is designed to provide the U.S. Navy with a much-needed refueling capability, allowing for better use of combat strike fighters by extending the range of deployed Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Boeing EA-18G Growler, and Lockheed Martin F-35C aircraft.