The U.S. Navy’s $19.4 billion MQ-25A program is intended to add a carrier-based tanker, expanding air-wing reach while freeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for strike missions.
The Department of Defense (DOD) put the program’s acquisition unit cost at $255.8 million in an April 21, 2026, report. The estimate covers procurement, research and development, testing and evaluation, and military construction. The 76-aircraft program includes four engineering development models and five system demonstration test articles, making the $19.4 billion figure a program-wide estimate rather than the price of one contract.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated total cost at $16.6 billion, excluding military construction, and unit cost at $218 million. The estimates use different cost scopes and are not directly comparable. GAO also reported that initial operational capability had slipped 2½ years and the end of initial operational testing 26 months. It warned that buying aircraft before developmental testing is complete could add costs or extend the schedule if testing prompts design changes.
A Navy test announced Oct. 19 demonstrated a long-distance command link. The USS Ronald Reagan, in the Pacific, remotely controlled an MQ-25A at Boeing’s site in Mascoutah, Illinois, more than 2,100 miles away. The Navy said commands passed through the carrier’s MD-5C Ground Control Station and a proliferated low Earth orbit satellite network.
The Navy says the tanker is intended to handle refueling now assigned to F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, leaving more of those aircraft available for strike missions and extending the carrier air wing’s reach. In a 2024 report, the Department of Defense’s Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) described F/A-18E/F tanking as the mission the MQ-25 is being developed to assume. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said the aircraft would let Super Hornets “fly farther and longer.”
The Navy announced Sept. 14 that its first production contract covers three Lot 1 aircraft and long-lead components for three Lot 2 aircraft. SAM.gov lists a base-and-options value of $611.5 million for the contract action. The Navy expects initial Lot 1 deliveries in 2029.
