Kacey Roberts
Boeing has received a four-year, $47.5 million contract from the U.S. Navy to gear up for the low-rate initial production of unmanned MQ-25 Stingray refueling tankers.
The service branch will use fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement funds for the advance acquisition contract to cover lot one LRIP production and delivery services, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
Boeing was awarded an $805.3 million contract in late August 2018 to build the Navy’s carrier-based aerial refueler platform. The funds were for an initial four systems under the program’s engineering and manufacturing development phase.
An MQ-25 test asset refueled an F/A-18 Super Hornet jet during a June 2021 flight, demonstrating the first unmanned tanker-manned receiver aircraft refueling operation.
