US Navy MQ-25A drone completes first test flight

The Boeing MQ-25A Stingray, the U.S. Navy's first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft system, has completed its inaugural test flight. The two-hour flight occurred Saturday at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Illinois, validating the drone's basic flight controls, ground control system, and engine performance. The drone is designed primarily as an aerial refueling tanker and is expected to move to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, by the end of 2026 to prepare for carrier-based flight tests.