Navy Arming MQ-25 Drone with Cruise Missile

The US Navy has been quietly arming its MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drone, a move that marks a significant expansion of its role. The aircraft, which was designed to provide air-to-air refueling for other planes, has been tested with a Boeing-developed GBU-75 Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM-LR) cruise missile.

The testing took place on the USS Nimitz in June, during which the Stingray completed its first deck-based carrier trials. The Navy had previously characterized the MQ-25 program as an aerial refueler with a secondary intelligence gathering mission, but given its origins in a program seeking to procure long-range, uncrewed strike capability, the surprise may be that weapon integration testing took this long.