MQ-25 스팅레이 양산형 1호기 초도비행 완료

[위종민]

보잉 MQ-25 스팅레이 양산형 1호기가 4월 25일 지상에서 첫 비행을 실시했네요. 2025년 말 예정이었는데 약간 일정이 밀렸습니다. 

미 해군 최초 양산형 보잉 MQ-25 스팅레이, 초도 비행 완료
작성자
Clement Charpentreau
19시간 전
국방
MQ-25 T1 스팅레이 시험 항공기가 이륙하고 있다
보잉

미 해군의 첫 양산형 보잉 MQ-25 스팅레이가 2026년 4월 25일 초도 비행을 완료했으며, 일리노이주 마스쿠타의 미드아메리카 세인트루이스 공항에서 이륙했다. 이는 해군 최초의 항모 기반 무인 항공기 전력화를 향한 가장 중요한 진전이다.

원래 2025년 말로 계획되었던 이 비행은 보잉 소유의 TA-4J 스카이호크와 미 해군 UC-12M 휴런이 추적기로 참여한 가운데 수행되었다고 The Aviationist가 보도했다. 2026년 4월 22일에 시도된 첫 비행은 공개되지 않은 이유로 중단된 바 있다.

이번 비행은 2019년 9월 19일 T1 시제기의 첫 출격 이후 거의 7년 만에 이루어진 것이다. 새로운 기체는 T1과 비교해 여러 가지 개량이 적용되었으며, 여기에는 수납식 전자광학/적외선(EO/IR) 터렛이 포함된다. 시험을 지원하기 위해 총 9대의 항공기가 제작되고 있으며, 미 해군은 2027 회계연도에 초기 운용 능력(IOC) 달성을 목표로 하고 있다.

비행 시험 단계로의 전환

이번 초도 비행은 장기간에 걸친 지상 시험 단계를 거친 이후 이루어졌다. 해당 단계에는 저속 및 고속 자율 활주 시험, 시스템 통합 점검, 그리고 2024년에 2억 달러 규모의 생산 라인을 확장한 보잉의 미드아메리카 시설에서 수행된 검증 작업이 포함되었다. 활주 시험은 미 해군 항공 시험평가대대 23(VX-23)과 항공 시험평가대대 24(UX-24)가 수행했으며, UX-24는 무인 체계 개발 시험을 전문으로 한다. 두 대대는 향후 비행 시험 캠페인에서도 계속 공동으로 책임을 맡게 된다.

T1 시제기가 이미 무인 공중급유 개념을 입증했음에도 불구하고—F/A-18 슈퍼호넷이 장착한 코밤 ARS 포드와의 접촉 시험을 포함하여—양산형 구성에서 해당 능력을 인증하기 위해서는 추가 시험이 필요하다. 비행 영역 확장 작업이 완료되면 미 해군은 항모 환경 시험으로 이동할 것으로 예상된다. T1은 2021년 말 USS 조지 H.W. 부시(CVN 77)에서 갑판 운용 시연을 완료했으나, 해당 단계에서는 비행을 수행하지 않았다.

급유 및 항모 통합

스팅레이의 주요 임무는 현재 F/A-18E/F 슈퍼호넷이 수행하고 있는 공중급유 임무를 대체하는 것이다. 슈퍼호넷은 비행 시간의 약 20~30%를 급유 임무에 할애하고 있다. MQ-25는 슈퍼호넷과 동일한 코밤 ARS 포드를 탑재하며, 미 해군이 2025년 8월 의회에 제출한 자료에 따르면 500해리 거리에서 14,000~16,000파운드의 연료를 제공할 수 있을 것으로 예상된다.

보잉은 이미 F/A-18 조종사가 급유 작전 중 조종석에서 MQ-25를 직접 지휘할 수 있도록 하는 소프트웨어를 시연한 바 있다.

이 항공기는 또한 새로운 센서 터렛을 통해 신호정보와 자동식별장치 수신기를 포함한 2차 정보·감시·정찰(ISR) 임무 탑재물을 운용할 수 있도록 설계되었다.

미 해군은 또한 록히드 마틴과 함께 무인 항모 항공 임무 통제 시스템(UMCS)을 개발 중이며, 이는 2024년부터 USS 조지 H.W. 부시와 지상 기지에 설치되어 있다. 미 해군 항공기 조종사들은 이 시스템을 활용해 MQ-25와 제너럴 아토믹스 MQ-20 어벤저를 모두 지휘한 바 있다.

일정 및 비용 압박

이 프로그램은 초기 일정에서 상당한 지연을 겪었다. 2025년 8월 의회 보고서에 인용된 국방부 선정 획득 보고서와 정부책임청(GAO) 평가에 따르면, 최초의 공학 및 제조 개발(EMD) 항공기 비행과 초기 운용 능력(IOC)을 포함한 주요 프로그램 이정표는 개발 단계가 반복되면서 약 2년가량 뒤로 밀린 것으로 나타났다.

또한 GAO는 비행 시험이 충분히 성숙하기 전에 저율 초기 생산이 시작될 경우 비용 위험이 발생할 수 있다고 지적했다. 미 해군의 2026 회계연도 예산 요청에는 조달 및 연구·개발·시험·평가 자금으로 10억 4천만 달러가 포함되어 있으며, 이는 첫 3대의 저율 초기 생산 항공기와 UMCS 개발 지속을 포함한다.

Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completes first production flight

Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completes first production flight

US Navy’s first production Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completes maiden flight

ByClement Charpentreau

19 hours ago

Defense

Boeing

The US Navy’s first production-representative Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completed its maiden flight on April 25, 2026, taking off from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, in the most significant step yet toward fielding the service’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft.

The flight, originally targeted for the end of 2025, was conducted with a Boeing-owned TA-4J Skyhawk and a US Navy UC-12M Huron acting as chase aircraft, The Aviationist reported. A first attempt on April 22, 2026, was aborted for undisclosed reasons.

The flight comes almost seven years after the T1 demonstrator’s first sortie on September 19, 2019. The new airframe introduces several modifications compared with T1, including a retractable electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) turret. A total of nine aircraft are being built to support the test campaign, and the US Navy is targeting Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in fiscal year 2027.

Transition to flight test

The maiden flight follows an extended ground test phase that included low- and high-speed autonomous taxi trials, system integration checks, and verification work conducted at Boeing’s MidAmerica facility, which the manufacturer expanded with a $200 million production line in 2024. Taxi trials were carried out by US Navy Air Test and Eval‎uation Squadron 23 (VX-23) and Air Test and Eval‎uation Squadron 24 (UX-24), with the latter specializing in unmanned systems developmental testing. The two squadrons will continue to share responsibility for the flight test campaign.

Although the T1 demonstrator already validated the unmanned aerial refueling concept, including contact tests with the Cobham ARS pod carried by F/A-18 Super Hornets, further testing will be required to certify the capability in the production configuration. Once envelope expansion work is complete, the US Navy is expected to move to carrier-environment testing. The T1 previously completed deck-handling demonstrations aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in late 2021, but did not fly during that phase.

Tanking and carrier integration

The Stingray’s primary role is to take over aerial refueling duties currently performed by F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, which dedicate between 20% and 30% of their flight hours to tanking missions. Carrying the same Cobham ARS pod as the Super Hornet, the MQ-25 is expected to deliver between 14,000 and 16,000 lb of fuel at 500 nautical miles, according to figures the US Navy submitted to Congress in an August 2025 report.

Boeing has already demonstrated software allowing an F/A-18 pilot to command an MQ-25 directly from the cockpit during refueling operations.

The aircraft is also intended to carry secondary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads through its new sensor turret, including signals intelligence and Automatic Identification System receivers.

The US Navy is also working with Lockheed Martin on the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS), which has been installed aboard USS George H.W. Bush and at shore sites since 2024. US Navy Air Vehicle Pilots have used the system to command both the MQ-25 and the General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger.

Schedule and cost pressure

The program has slipped significantly from its initial timeline. According to Pentagon Selected Acquisition Reports and Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessments cited in the August 2025 congressional report, major program milestones, including the first engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft flight and IOC, have shifted by approximately two years over successive development cycles.

The GAO has also flagged cost risk if low-rate initial production begins before flight testing matures. The US Navy’s fiscal year 2026 budget request includes $1.04 billion for procurement and research, development, test, and eval‎uation funding, covering the first three low-rate initial production aircraft and continued UMCS development.

[김유철]

미군의 무인기 연구가 알게모르게 꽤 진행되네요. 현재 미국의 주요 무인기 프로젝트를 네이버 이성참의 블로그에 잘 정리해 두셨기에 링크 남겨봅니다. https://blog.naver.com/orangeshirts/224259879879
이 밖에도 드론용 벙커버스터 시험이라던가 레이저를 이용한 전력공급 시험 등이 진행되고,드론 공급망까지 같이 평가항목으로 적용해서 양산도 챙기는 등 여러가지로 분주하게 진행되네요.

[위종민]

해공군 공히 물량 딸리는 걸 UAV, USV, UUV로 채워야 하니 바쁘게 움직이네요.