The Boeing Company has secured a contract modification valued at up to $552,053,000 from the U.S. Navy to begin low-rate initial production of the MQ-25A Stingray. The award transitions the world’s first fully integrated, carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle from its development phase into active production.

Announced by the U.S. Department of Defense on September 14, 2026, the undefinitized, fixed-price-incentive modification covers the delivery of three Lot One aircraft and funds advance acquisition of long-lead components for three Lot Two airframes. The MQ-25A is designed to provide organic aerial refueling capabilities to Carrier Air Wings, a role that will free up manned F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for strike missions and extend their operational service life.

Production scope and timeline

The modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price advance acquisition contract obligates $164,428,480 at the time of award. This includes $100,000,000 in fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement funds and $64,428,480 in fiscal 2026 funds. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is the contracting activity.

Work will be distributed across multiple North-American facilities. The majority of the Manufacturing will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, which accounts for 56 percent of the contract scope. Other significant locations include Torrance, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Quebec, Canada. The Department of Defense expects the work under this specific modification to conclude in July 2031.

Program milestones and development hurdles

The contract award follows a series of recent program milestones. On April 25, 2026, the Navy completed the first successful test flight of a production-representative MQ-25A. Less than a month later, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao granted Milestone C approval, officially authorizing the program to enter the Production and Deployment phase.

Capt. Daniel Fucito, the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program Manager, highlighted the significance of the award in a Navy statement.

“Awarding this first LRIP contract marks a pivotal transition from development to operational reality and is a testament to the focused effort of our joint government and industry teams.”

The transition to production comes after the program navigated several development delays. According to the Pentagon’s April 2026 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report, technical risks and a labor strike at Boeing contributed to pushing the expected initial operational capability (IOC) to 2029. This represents a four-year delay from the program’s original timeline. Initial deliveries from the Lot One contract are also expected to begin in 2029.

The total program of record calls for 76 air vehicles. Seven test aircraft are currently in production at Boeing facilities in St. Louis and a dedicated MQ-25 site in Mascoutah, Illinois. Official sources show a slight discrepancy in the exact valuation of the new contract, with the Department of Defense listing a not-to-exceed value of $552,053,000 and a concurrent Navy release valuing the Lot One award at $562,000,000.

AirPro News analysis

Moving the MQ-25A into low-rate initial production is a critical milestone for both the U.S. Navy and Boeing. For the Navy, fielding an unmanned tanker capable of delivering 14,000 pounds of fuel over 500 nautical miles fundamentally alters carrier strike group geometry. It relieves the F/A-18E/F fleet from the heavy burden of buddy-tanking, preserving flight hours on tactical fighters for their primary combat roles.

For Boeing, locking in the LRIP contract provides stability to a defense program that has faced intense scrutiny over schedule slips. While the 2029 IOC target reflects the reality of recent supply chain and labor challenges, transitioning from test articles to production airframes indicates that the core technical risks are now manageable. We expect the focus will now shift heavily toward production scaling and the integration of the Stingray into the carrier air wing’s daily operational rhythm.

Sources: U.S. Department of Defense

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has expanded production of its internally funded Vectis uncrewed aircraft program to five prototypes, unveiling a full-scale model of the autonomous wingman on September 14, 2026, at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The expansion, announced via a company press release, signals Lockheed Martin’s continued investment in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) space. The Vectis is designed to operate alongside crewed fighters such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, utilizing the manufacturers‘s MDCX autonomy command and control platform.

Design and technical specifications

The Vectis is classified as a Group 5 uncrewed aircraft, weighing more than 1,320 pounds. It features a tailless, lambda-wing design measuring 34 feet in length with a 38-foot wingspan. The airframe incorporates a submerged dorsal engine inlet, a design choice intended to reduce frontal drag and minimize the risk of foreign object debris (FOD) ingestion.

This inlet configuration aligns with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, which emphasizes operating from austere or debris-prone locations. The aircraft is powered by a Williams International FJ44-4 turbofan engine, which delivers 3,600 pounds of thrust. For combat operations, the Vectis includes an internal weapons bay capable of carrying munitions such as the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile.

Rapid development and production timeline

Lockheed Martin first unveiled the Vectis concept on September 21, 2025, and confirmed the selection of the Williams International engine on December 18, 2025. The program has utilized digital engineering to accelerate its timeline. According to the manufacturer, the project moved from the first drawing to a wind tunnel fly-off in less than two months. The first digital build was completed in six months, and the first physical part was released at the eight-month mark.

Ron Fehlen, Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, confirmed that development work on the four additional aircraft is already underway. The company is targeting the end of 2027 for the first flight of the Vectis prototype.

“The team is extremely excited as these parts start to come together, to actually get the wheels off the ramp by the end of 2027,” Fehlen stated.

Market positioning and cost targets

While Lockheed Martin was not selected for the first increment of the USAF CCA program, the company is positioning the Vectis for future increments and potential contracts with the U.S. Navy (USN) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). The USAF has publicly targeted a cost of approximately $20 million per CCA unit. Lockheed Martin has stated that the Vectis is targeting a competitive price point within this range, though exact unit costs remain undisclosed.

Fehlen noted that the aircraft is designed to be survivable, affordable, and flexible across a range of missions required by military customers.

AirPro News analysis

We view Lockheed Martin’s decision to self-fund four additional prototypes as a strategic commitment to remaining competitive in the autonomous combat aircraft market. By targeting the $20 million unit cost and emphasizing austere operational capabilities through the dorsal inlet design, the manufacturer is positioning Vectis as a mature, ready-to-produce option for future CCA increments. The rapid development timeline also demonstrates the efficacy of Skunk Works’ digital engineering processes, which will be critical for meeting the high-volume production demands anticipated for uncrewed wingman programs.

Sources: Lockheed Martin

This article summarizes reporting by Asiae.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) approved a 3.24 trillion won ($2.4 billion) project on September 15, 2026, to acquire approximately 20 additional Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). The acquisition, scheduled to run from 2025 through 2032, will replace the navy’s aging fleet of shipborne Westland Lynx helicopters and expand its anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The approval of the Maritime Operational Helicopter-II project follows a May 18, 2026, clearance by the U.S. State Department for a potential $3 billion Foreign Military Sale of up to 24 MH-60R airframes to South Korea. According to reporting by Asiae, the final number of helicopters will be solidified during concluding contract negotiations, though DAPA currently projects a fleet addition of around 20 aircraft.

Expanding the Republic of Korea Navy fleet

The ROKN is already in the process of integrating the Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk into its frontline operations. South Korea signed an initial $878 million contracts in December 2020 for 12 of the maritime helicopters. The first airframe from that order was delivered in December 2024.

Operational deployment of the initial batch began recently, with the first two Seahawks entering active service on April 1, 2026, at the 62nd Maritime Aviation Squadron based in Jinhae. The newly approved second batch will significantly increase the ROKN’s operational footprint and surface fleet integration.

Brigadier General Kang Seong-kwon, head of the Aircraft Business Division at DAPA, highlighted the platform’s multi-role utility during the procurement process.

“The new MH-60R maritime operational helicopter is capable of performing various missions, including anti-submarine, anti-ship, and search and rescue operations,” Kang stated.

Technical specifications and parallel defense projects

The Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk is designed for a maximum takeoff weight of 10.2 tons and can reach a maximum speed of 180 knots. The platform is equipped with advanced sensor suites and weapon systems tailored for detecting and neutralizing underwater and surface threats, a critical requirement for South Korea’s maritime defense strategy.

During the same September 15, 2026, Defense Project Promotion Committee meeting, DAPA authorized a separate 2.16 trillion won initiative. This parallel project aims to indigenously develop vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by 2036, further modernizing the country’s aerial surveillance capabilities.

AirPro News analysis

We view DAPA’s rapid follow-on order for the Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk as a strong indicator of the ROKN’s satisfaction with the initial 2020 batch. Transitioning from the legacy Westland Lynx to a unified fleet of MH-60Rs streamlines maintenance, training, and interoperability with United States Navy assets operating in the Indo-Pacific region. The slight discrepancy between the U.S. State Department’s approval for 24 airframes and DAPA’s stated goal of “approximately 20” is standard in Foreign Military Sales, where the maximum approved quantity often provides a buffer for final budget negotiations and equipment configurations.

Sources: Asiae