Overview
- The Navy awarded a contract worth just over $552 million to Boeing to buy three MQ-25A low-rate initial production Lot One aircraft and to buy long-lead parts for three Lot Two airframes.
- Boeing will continue delivering four engineering development model aircraft and building Lot One airframes after one EDM completed a flight test in April.
- The program’s initial operational capability has slipped and will not occur earlier than the second quarter of fiscal year 2030 according to Navy reprogramming documents.
- Because of the delay the Navy is seeking to redirect roughly $29 million in fiscal year 2026 funds that had been set aside for spares and repair parts.
- The MQ-25 is built to refuel carrier air wings at sea and carry limited ISR data, a role meant to free F/A-18s for strike missions and affect carrier readiness, procurement pacing, and shipboard operations planning.