Boeing wins $562m Navy contract for first three production MQ-25 Stingrays

The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a fixed-price incentive contract for Lot 1 of the MQ-25A Stingray's Low-Rate Initial Production, worth $562 million. It covers three aircraft. Those three join 11 already under contract for testing, putting 14 Stingrays under contract in total.

Initial deliveries from Lot 1 are expected to begin in 2029, according to the Navy. Boeing said the lot will validate the aircraft's design, production processes and supply-chain readiness.

The contract also covers advanced acquisition of long-lead components for three Lot 2 MQ-25As, the Navy said. A contract for that second lot is planned for 2027.

Capt. Daniel Fucito, the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager, called the award a transition from development to operational reality.

The LRIP award follows Milestone C approval in May 2026, which moved the program into the Production and Deployment phase. That decision came less than a month after the aircraft's first flight on April 25, 2026.

The MQ-25A is meant to bring unmanned aerial refueling capability to Navy aircraft carriers.