Boeing completed the first flight of the production representative MQ-25A Stingray on April 25, nearly seven years after the T1 demonstrator first flew in 2019. The two hour mission was fully autonomous from taxi through landing, commanded via a Lockheed Martin MD-5 ground control station running Skunk Works' MDCX command and control software. MDCX has been installed aboard USS George H.W. Bush and at shore sites since 2024 and is positioned as the foundational C2 layer for the Navy's future carrier air wing. The production airframe adds a retractable electro-optical/infrared sensor turret not on the T1, carrying signals intelligence and Automatic Identification System receivers for secondary ISR. A first attempt on April 22 was aborted for undisclosed reasons.

The Stingray is powered by a Rolls-Royce AE 3007N turbofan and carries the same Cobham ARS refueling pod as the Super Hornet. It is designed to deliver 14,000 to 16,000 lb of fuel at 500 nautical miles, replacing tanking duties that currently consume 20 to 30 percent of Super Hornet flight hours. Boeing has already demonstrated cockpit level control, with an F/A-18 pilot commanding the MQ-25 directly during refueling. The FY26 budget includes $1.04 billion for the first three low rate initial production aircraft and continued UMCS development.

The US Marine Corps selected two autonomous cargo helicopters for its MARV-EL Increment 2 logistics program: the Sikorsky/Robinson R66 TurbineTruck and the Near Earth Autonomy/Bell Uncrewed 505. Both are modified civil light singles stripped of cockpit controls and fitted with autonomous flight systems. The TurbineTruck uses Sikorsky's MATRIX autonomy, the same system behind the S-70UAS U-Hawk, and loads cargo through front clamshell doors sized for forklift access. It carries roughly 590 kg internally with a range over 600 km. The requirement calls for 590 to 1,130 kg payload delivery over 185 km, controlled via a digital tablet. The Marine Corps sees the platforms as middleweight solutions for contested resupply where small drones lack capacity and crewed helicopters face unacceptable risk.

MBDA and Safran completed the first demonstration firing of their Thundart ground-to-ground rocket. The guided round targets 150 km at high supersonic speed with a 100 kg payload, using guidance derived from Safran's AASM Hammer family designed to work in electronic warfare dense environments. MBDA said performance exceeded expectations, with the entire program going from blank sheet to live fire in 18 months. Thundart is one of two competing designs under France's FLP-T program to replace the Army's nine aging Lance-Roquettes Unitaires, with ArianeGroup and Thales developing the rival FLP-T 150. The DGA is expected to pick a winner later this year. France is targeting at least 13 new systems by 2030. The system is fully ITAR-free and built on an entirely French supply chain.

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