Navy delays unmanned MQ-25A Stingray timeline after IG warnings
The Navy views MQ-25A Stingray as urgently needed by the fleet, but the DoD Inspector General warned the service was moving too fast.
By JUSTIN KATZ
on November 21, 2023 at 2:04 PM
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The Navy is pushing back its timeline for a significant programmatic milestone for its new $16.5 billion unmanned refueling aircraft program following warnings that it was risking delays and increased costs.
The service had been preparing to make “critical production decisions” for the MQ-25A Stingray program prior to testing whether the aircraft “meets operational capability requirements,” according to a new report [PDF] by the Defense Department Inspector General, published Nov. 16.
“Making critical production decisions without performing [developmental test and evaluation] and [initial operational test and evaluation] increases risk that the MQ‑25 program will not meet operational capability requirements, delay deployment of the MQ‑25A to the [aircraft carriers], and increase program costs,” according to the report.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/11/navy-delays-unmanned-mq-25a-stingray-timeline-after-ig-warnings/