US Navy issues Lot 1 LRIP contract for Stingray long-lead production items
The USN has placed a Lot 1 LRIP long-lead production items contract for MQ-25 Stingray aerial refuelling UAVs. (Photo: USN)
Boeing is to complete work on a Lot 1 LRIP production items contract for the MQ-25 Stingray by September 2026.
Boeing has obtained a $47.47 million LRIP contract from Naval Air Systems Command to produce and deliver long-lead production items for Lot 1 MQ-25 Stingray aerial refuelling UAVs for the USN.
Work on the advanced procurement contract will be performed at nine US and two Canadian locations, for completion by September 2026.
Primarily designed to extend the combat range of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and F-35C aircraft for the USN, the Stingray is also designed to undertake ISR missions as a secondary capability.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the MQ-25 programme will pioneer the integration of manned and unmanned operations, utilise mature and complex sea-based C4I technologies and hopefully pave the way for future multi-facilitated, multi-mission UASs to keep pace with emerging threats.
This article was amended on 3 October to emphasise that the contract is for long-lead production items.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Middle Eastern demand opens fresh export prospects for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet]()
Middle Eastern demand opens fresh export prospects for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet
A proposed Saudi Arabian purchase of 48 stealth fighters could signal a broader regional opportunity for the F-35 as European programmes mature.
-
![US Army extended-range CUAS missile ramjet work to continue through December 2029]()
US Army extended-range CUAS missile ramjet work to continue through December 2029
Northrop Grumman’s US$18.8 million XRC propulsion contract runs through December 2029, but performance targets and the pathway to operational fielding remain undisclosed.
-
![Saab’s GlobalEye gains ground as Canada’s aircraft procurement tilts towards Europe]()
Saab’s GlobalEye gains ground as Canada’s aircraft procurement tilts towards Europe
Canada’s interest in negotiating a procurement of Saab’s GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft signals its readiness to reduce its reliance on US defence technology as trade tensions with its North American neighbour mount.
