MQ-25A Stingray Engineering and Manufacturing Development Contract

The MQ-25A Stingray Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract, awarded to Boeing on August 30, 2018, for $805.3 million, funds the design, development, fabrication, testing, delivery, and support of four MQ-25A unmanned aerial vehicles. These are the U.S. Navy's first operational carrier-based unmanned refueling aircraft, intended to enhance carrier air wing performance by providing longer-range aerial refueling (up to 15,000 lb of fuel at 500 nautical miles), freeing manned aircraft like Super Hornets for strike missions, with initial operational capability targeted for 2024 (later delayed to 2026).

Notes

EMD contract awarded 2018-08-30 by US Navy to Boeing. Fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract. Sources: NAVAIR official announcement, Boeing press release, Pentagon contract announcement.