The Autonomous Tanker That Will Finally Free The F/A-18 Super Hornet From Its Most Hated Mission

On June 25, 2026, a Boeing MQ-25 Stingray demonstrator was lashed to the deck of USS Nimitz as the carrier took part in FLEETEX 25 alongside 25 allied warships in the Atlantic. The aircraft was Boeing’s T1 test demonstrator, displayed without its Cobhamaerial refueling pod. According to the Defense News, aerial refueling can consume more than one-third of all F/A-18E/F Super Hornet flight hours during carrier air wing operations, diverting strike fighters from the combat missions they were designed to perform. The MQ-25 Stingray is intended to take over that mission, returning those aircraft to offensive operations.