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Navy/USMC

MQ-25 IOC Pushed Back To 2026 Due To Production Maturity Challenges

Thursday, April 13th, 2023

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MQ-25 IOC Pushed Back To 2026 Due To Production Maturity Challenges

The MQ-25 Stingray test asset, T-1, conducts deck handling maneuvers on Dec. 12, 2021 while underway aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the first testing of the MQ-25 model at sea. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

Production challenges have pushed the initial operational capability (IOC) of the Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned carrier-based tanker back a year to 2026, a program executive said last week. Speaking during the Navy League’s Sea Air Space symposium on April 3, Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, said the current scheduled plan for MQ-25 IOC is 2026. Previously, the Navy planned to reach IOC in 2025 and then deploy the first operational aircraft aboard…

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