[Llarry]

As I have previously posted, the U.S. Navy is developing a unmanned air vehicle that will be integrated into carrier air wings and provide aerial refueling, freeing up F-18 Super Hornets to concentrate on their strike fighter mission and increasing the combat power of the wing.

I am not surprised that the program to bring this capability to carrier decks in the form of the Boeing MQ-25A Stingray air vehicle has suffered delays. The original in-service date was to be 2026, but the program is running at least two years behind schedule. It seems that every program is running behind these days.

The first squadron, the training unit VUQ-10, was established in 2021. That's a long time to have an aviation squadron without aircraft.

Ultimately, 67 operational MQ-25As will be delivered and operated by not only VUQ-10, but also two squadrons (VUQ-11 and -12) that will deploy detachments of 5 MQ-25As on each carrier. It's possible that the UAV will also be assigned additional missions in the future.

When not aboard ship, the UAVs will be based at NAS Point Mugu, California.