01
Two U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Now Ready to Operate New MQ-25A Tanker Drones
USS Ronald Reagan became the second U.S. aircraft carrier equipped with an Unmanned Air Warfare Center for MQ-25A Stingray operations after installation and integration finished in August 2026. It joins USS Theodore Roosevelt, with shipboard MD-5C ground-control stations combining government networks, Lockheed Martin MDCX mission-planning software and supporting hardware. Reagan completed eleven ship modifications together over 17 months, preparing its control infrastructure for the unmanned tanker and future carrier drones. Pierside and at-sea testing must validate the installation, while shipboard readiness remains separate from MQ-25A operational availability, currently planned for 2029.