Image source: topwar.ru
The promising MQ-25A Stingray UAV tanker, which is being developed by Boeing for the US Navy, will not be ready by the deadline specified in the contract. The first deployment of the aforementioned drones on board the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is now expected in 2026, USNI News reports, citing one of the program's leaders, Rear Admiral Tedford.
- said the military.
The article says that representatives of Boeing also confirmed an increase in the time frame for the execution of the order.
- stated in the company.
USNI News recalls that in 2018, Boeing won an $805 million contract to develop four Stingray tanker UAVs until August 2024. The first test flight of the prototype of the device took place already in 2019.
In turn, in 2020, the US Navy signed a contract with the company in the amount of $ 84.7 million for three more aircraft. In total, the service seeks to get a fleet of 73 such tankers, spending $ 1.3 billion on it.
Finally, the article provides data on the capabilities of a promising UAV. So, according to the developer's statements, the MQ-25A Stingray will have a payload capacity of more than 7 tons and will be able to fly at distances up to 930 km.
