• The Navy and Boeing conducted the first test flight of the MQ-25A Stingray over the weekend.
• The Stingray is a drone designed for air-to-air refueling.
• The drone will eventually extend the range of crewed aircraft and free up aircraft for combat.

A new US Navy carrier-based drone for refueling aircraft has begun flight testing with the first flight of a production-representative aircraft, the service announced, marking a key step toward bringing uncrewed systems into the refueling role.

The Navy says that the MQ-25A Stingray is the first operational carrier-based uncrewed aircraft system. Made by Boeing, the Stingray's first test flight moves it closer to aircraft carrier operations and the refueling mission expected to extend the reach of crewed aircraft. The Stingray's timeline to service has been repeatedly delayed.

The Navy and Boeing announced the first test flight on Monday. The April 25 test was not the first-ever flight of the MQ-25 concept, but it was the first test of a production-representative aircraft as the Navy starts up formal flight testing ahead of eventual service.

Over the weekend, the MQ-25A flew for approximately two hours at Boeing's facility in Illinois and was controlled by Navy and Boeing air vehicle pilots via a ground control system. During the flight, the Stingray conducted several maneuvers and tests and demonstrated flight controls and navigation.

"Today's successful flight builds on years of learning from our MQ-25A T1 prototype and represents a major maturation of the program," Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Air Dominance, said, per a press release.

The sea service's Stingray is a planned uncrewed replacement for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet's air-to-air refueling role within carrier air wings. The Navy has said the drone's job will help extend the operational range of aircraft and free them up to focus on combat and surveillance roles.

The MQ-25 can carry up to 15,000 pounds of fuel and could help the Navy rethink the ranges of its aircraft carriers and fighters as China's growing arsenal of anti-ship missiles threatens US naval forces.

"The MQ-25A is not just an aircraft," Rear Adm. Tony Rossi, head of the program executive office for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, said, per the Navy's press release.

He said that "it's the first step in integrating unmanned aerial refueling onto the carrier deck, directly enabling our manned fighters to fly further and faster. This capability is vital to the future of naval aviation."

The Navy began work on the MQ-25 in 2016, selected Boeing for production in 2018, and the Navy and Boeing flew a test asset for the first time the following year. The most recent flight test is the first for the MQ-25A, a production-design aircraft different from the earlier MQ-25 T1 test asset.

The MQ-25 T1 test drone previously showed off its refueling capabilities in 2021, flying in front of an F/A-18 and getting as close as 20 feet to the aircraft before extending the hose and drogue to plug into the fighter to transfer the fuel.

The service has navigated several delays and cost increases to the Stingray, which was originally supposed to be operational in 2024 but is now set to enter into service later this decade.

• Twelve defense companies have been picked for initial work on space-based interceptors for the US' Golden Dome.
• These interceptors are the costliest and most complex parts of Golden Dome.
• Officials and analysts are questioning whether interceptors are feasible at scale.

The Department of Defense has picked a dozen companies to develop space-based interceptors for Golden Dome, moving forward amid concerns the technology might be too expensive to field.

Golden Dome is the Trump administration's proposed missile defense system to counter threats from foes like Russia and China. The design includes space-based missile interceptors, but military leaders and analysts have raised concerns about the cost.

Last week, Space Force's Space Systems Command said 12 defense companies had been selected in late 2025 and earlier this year for Other Transaction Authority agreements, early-stage research and prototype work with fewer regulatory constraints.

The combined award value is up to $3.2 billion, and the industry partners selected include big names like Anduril, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, along with firms such as Booz Allen Hamilton and Turion Space Corp.

These companies will work on prototypes for Golden Dome's space-based missile interceptors, armed low-Earth orbit satellites designed to counter ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles across multiple phases of flight, the Space Force said.

Col. Bryon McClain, the Space Force program executive officer for space combat power, said in a release on the selection that "adversary capabilities are advancing rapidly, and our acquisition strategies must move even faster to counter the growing speed and maneuverability of modern missile threats."

"With the commitment and collaboration of these industry partners, the Space Force will demonstrate an initial capability in 2028."

But other officials have questioned whether these capabilities will be affordable. Earlier this month, Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, director for the Golden Dome program, acknowledged that satellites built to shoot down enemy missiles might never be feasible.

"What we do not know today is: 'Can I do it at scale and can I do it affordably? That's going to be the huge challenge for boost-phase intercept," Guetlein told the House Armed Services Strategic Forces committee.

"I will tell you because we are so focused on affordability. If we cannot do it affordably, we will not go into production," the head of Space Force added.

Space-based interceptors aren't necessarily the only game in town though, he indicated, telling Congress that "if boost-phase intercept from space is not affordable and scalable, we will not produce it because we have other options to get after it."

Golden Dome's current estimated price tag sits at $185 billion, about $10 billion more than President Donald Trump first estimated when discussing Golden Dome's total cost last May.

The Congressional Budget Office has put the projected total at anywhere between $161 billion and half a trillion dollars for launching and operating a full constellation of space-based interceptors for 20 years.

The cost projections vary depending on the number of interceptors the US deploys. Analysts have suggested that space-based interceptors may not fit within the program's cost and requirements given the mission. When Trump issued an executive order to build Golden Dome in January 2025, the order said it must counter "ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries."

Per an American Enterprise Institute paper from September 2025 by senior fellow Todd Harrison, a simulated Golden Dome architecture that best fits those requirements is estimated to cost $3.6 trillion over 20 years. In contrast, AEI's simulated designs that better fit the Trump administration's budget don't provide the defensive capabilities being promised, "creating a multi-trillion-dollar gap between rhetoric and reality," the paper said.

"The more threats Golden Dome is designed to counter, and the broader its coverage, capacity, and resilience, the higher the cost. Even small shifts in objectives can produce outsized changes in cost, and the largest cost driver by far is space-based interceptors," Harrison wrote.

Golden Dome also presents a shift toward further weaponizing space. Experts say that while the US sees Golden Dome as necessary, it could accelerate an arms race. That could include systems designed to target the interceptors, missiles that evade defenses, or larger missile arsenals to overwhelm the system.

Some US officials have pointed to China and Russia's existing counterspace capabilities as evidence that space is already contested. China and Russia have both criticized the Golden Dome plan as a potential catalyst for a space arms race while simultaneously advancing their respective missile and anti-space programs.

• US Air Force A-10 Warthogs were part of the rescue operation for downed airmen in Iran.
• The A-10s were in a "Sandy" role supporting search and rescue.
• The Air Force has pushed for the retirement of its A-10 fleet, deeming them obsolete.

US Air Force A-10 Warthogs, decades-old attack aircraft the service has been pushing into retirement, were part of the risky rescue missions to retrieve downed American airmen in Iran.

The Warthogs flew in their "Sandy" roles, supporting search and rescue while engaging in close-in battles at low altitudes. The rescue marks the latest involvement of the A-10 in the US war in Iran despite the Air Force's plans to imminently shelve its remaining fleet.

Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared details on the aircraft used in the mission during a Monday briefing on the rescue of the pilot and weapon systems officer after an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran last week.

Caine said that a task force including A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, commonly called Warthogs, "audaciously penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight" to rescue the F-15E pilot. "This was an incredibly dangerous mission," he added, sharing the task force faced Iranian fire while locating and retrieving the downed pilot.

In the operation, the A-10s, along with other aircraft, including drones, flew in so-called "Sandy" roles, "violently suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close-in gunfight" to draw attention away from the rescue activities, as well as keep the enemy at bay.

During the engagement, one A-10 aircraft was hit by enemy fire. The pilot flew it into friendly airspace but determined that they wouldn't be able to land it. The pilot ejected as the plane went down. They were recovered safely.

"A 'Sandy' has one mission: get to the survivor, bring the rescue force forward, and put themselves between that survivor on the ground and the enemy," Caine said.

The "Sandy" role originated during the Vietnam War as the call sign for A-1 Skyraiders leading combat search-and-rescue missions. These aircraft located downed airmen, coordinated rescue efforts, and suppressed enemy fire to protect helicopters.

As the A-1 retired, the Sandy role — a mission, not a platform — passed to aircraft like the A-10 Warthog.

These “Sandy" aircraft are part of the larger CSAR package, which includes HH-60 helicopters and highly trained rescue personnel, HC-130 refueling tankers, fighter escorts, and intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance assets.

"The A-10 force and the rescue force did a fantastic job," Caine said Monday. Earlier in the war, the top general highlighted the involvement of Warthogs in hunting down Iranian fast-attack boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

The A-10's days are, however, numbered. The Air Force is planning the aircraft's retirement, though it has run into roadblocks. Congressional intervention has repeatedly thrown the attack plane a lifeline and prevented the service from fully retiring the entire fleet. There are over 160 Warthogs in service.

Pushing for the retirement of the fleet, Air Force leadership has previously argued that "the aircraft does not deter or survive against our pacing challenge," a reference to China. The service has been looking into whether F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters can fulfill the A-10's missions, such as close-air support. Supporters of the A-10 argue no other aircraft can currently fulfill its missions.

The A-10 was introduced in the 1970s and intended to be a tank-killer capable of blunting a Soviet armored assault. It can carry rockets, missiles, and bombs, but is best known for its 30mm GAU-8 Avenger seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon.