Boeing MQ-25 Stingray

Boeing · United States · first flew 2019 · transport aircraft

The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is the US Navy's carrier-based unmanned aerial refuelling tanker, designed to extend the range of carrier air wing strike fighters by acting as an organic tanker. It is the first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Carrier-based unmanned aerial refuelling tanker with blended wing-body
T — Tail	No tailplane

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Carrier-based unmanned aerial refuelling tanker with blended wing-body
No conventional tail — flying wing / blended configuration
Deployed from US Navy carrier decks to extend strike fighter range

A blended low-observable flying-wing shape with a single engine intake on the upper fuselage and no conventional empennage, designed to fold for carrier stowage.

Specifications

The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray has a length of 15.5 m (51 ft).
It has a wingspan of 22.86 m (75 ft).
Typical crew: 0 (unmanned).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Selected by the US Navy in 2018 after a competition, the MQ-25 first flew in 2019 and has since conducted successful aerial refuelling trials with F/A-18s, E-2Ds, and F-35Cs. It is in low-rate initial production and scheduled to achieve initial operational capability in the mid-2020s.

Variants

The MQ-25A is the primary production variant; earlier Boeing demonstrators used the T1 designation internally.

Where you'll see it

Being fielded by the US Navy for carrier operations; no international operators announced.

Related aircraft

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