The future of naval aviation is at hand, and it involves the MQ-25 Stingray—the first-ever carrier-based unmanned aerial tanker drone of the U.S. Navy. Aircraft carriers have been forced for decades to rely on manned aircraft for everything, whether combat or support. The MQ-25 puts an end to all that once and for all. It’s not just a drone—it’s a milestone when unmanned systems execute an actual operational task, altering how the Navy battles and flies in the air.
The Stingray broke history in June 2021 when a Boeing test aircraft refueled a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet mid-air. Swooping low over the state of Illinois, the Super Hornet came into position 20 feet away as it extended with the Stingray’s refueling boom. The mission was accomplished without a hitch, the first time in history that an unmanned system had offloaded fuel to a manned system. It was a peaceful yet milestone achievement—a live demonstration of precision and trust between man, pilots, and machines.
Although its core role is to refuel carrier-based aircraft, the value of the MQ-25 extends much, much beyond the extension of range. In the past, many Super Hornets were temporarily converted into makeshift tankers, grounding several aircraft for battle.
By doing that role, the Stingray frees up dozens of strike planes for the Navy to focus on their main mission. “This is a revolutionary step toward the Navy vision of the ‘Air Wing of the Future’—a more flexible, more capable, and more efficient force,” said Rear Adm. John Meier, Commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic.
One of the most daunting challenges in the program was having a drone safely flying on a carrier deck. Engineers began with MQ-25 performance tests flying under simulated carrier deck conditions at Norfolk’s Chambers Field, Virginia. They later tested it out at sea aboard USS George H.W. Bush, where Stingray transitioned smoothly into live deck operations. The tests ensured that the drone can navigate tight spaces, sharp corners, and around-the-clock coordination that are the hallmark of carrier existence—a milestone before joining the fleet.
Stingray’s story is not just one of refueling pilots, though—it’s one of redefining teamwork in the skies. The MQ-25 is the Navy’s first major step toward so-called “manned-unmanned teaming,” where human pilots and unmanned drones operate together in one unit. The approach allows unmanned machines to execute high-risk or time-prohibitive tasks while manned vehicles handle tough tactical choices. Experts see the Stingray as the Navy’s master key to an era where man-trust in machines is established through experience, not abstract theory.
Since the 2018 award of the contract to Boeing, the program has been proceeding very rapidly. After refueling a Super Hornet, the MQ-25 refueled an F-35C Lightning II and an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye—demonstrating it can refuel the entire carrier air wing. With each trial, the Navy moves closer to deploying operational Stingrays aboard Ford- and Nimitz-class carriers, where they will double strike aircraft range and enhance mission opportunities without adding to pilot risk.
When it is in operation, the MQ-25 will redefine how the Navy projects power beyond the horizon. Refueling hundreds of miles out from the ship enables strike planes to attack farther away without putting the fleet at risk.
But its importance doesn’t end there—the Stingray opens the door to the future unmanned platforms, including reconnaissance aircraft and even autonomous fighter-bombers which could someday ride alongside manned jets on the deck.
Every test, every software download, and every deck trial adds to the Navy’s growing body of knowledge on how to couple human creativity with machine accuracy. The MQ-25 Stingray used to be a simple refueling drone, but it’s becoming more complicated.
It is a photograph of the way innovation and resiliency continue to inform naval aviation—a stepping stone to a future in which man and machine take flight as one into the unknown to conquer tomorrow’s challenges.