Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0449/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
MQ-25
Watch this program
Budget figures
$459.2M discretionary + $100.0M one-time reconciliation. Discretionary change vs FY2025 enacted: +818.5%.
Two official figures, one label— reconciled below
Fiscal Receipts uses P-1/R-1 workbook total obligation authority (TOA) as the headline figure sitewide. The workbook TOA includes budget rows that the R-2/P-40 J-book program line excludes — advance procurement in an ordinary year, and in FY2026 the one-time reconciliation appropriation as well. Each row below names the one it is. How the two bases relate →
FY26 Request · $559.2M TOA − $459.2M J-book line = 100.0M (559.2 − 459.2 = 100.0) — $100.0M of one-time FY2026 reconciliation money accounts for this gap — not advance procurement
Figures in the sentence are rounded for reading; the parenthesised arithmetic is the same subtraction in USD millions, at the precision where it closes.
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $12.0M |
| FY25 | $50.0M |
| FY26 | $559.2M |
All series figures: P-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $47.5M | $748.2M | $12.0M | ||
| Enacted | – | $748.2M | $596.3M | $50.0M | |
| Request | – | – | $596.3M | $553.0M | $559.2M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $596.3M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $12.0M as actual total obligation authority — $584.3M below the request. 12.0 − 596.3 = -584.3 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Description — MQ-25
The FY2026 request includes the procurement of three Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) MQ-25 aircraft and the advance procurement of long-lead materials in support of three LRIP MQ-25 aircraft. The requirement for the MQ-25 Carrier Based Unmanned Air System (CBUAS), more recently referred to as the MQ-25 Unmanned Carrier Aviation (UCA) System, is defined in a Capability Development Document (CDD) dated 21 July 2017. The MQ-25 program entered the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the acquisition process as an Acquisition Category IB program on 14 August 2018. The MQ-25 program provides an unmanned capability to embark on CVNs as part of the Carrier Air Wing (CVW) to conduct aerial refueling as a primary mission. MQ-25 extends CVW mission effectiveness range, and fills the future CVW-tanker gap, mitigating the Strike Fighter shortfall and preserving F/A-18E/F Fatigue Life for its primary missions. As the first carrier-based, group 5 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), MQ-25 pioneers the integration of manned and unmanned operations, demonstrates mature complex sea-based Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) UAS technologies, and paves the way for future multifaceted multi-mission UAS to pace emerging threats. MQ-25 is designed to conduct aerial refueling. MQ-25 will have the ability to refuel all carrier based fixed wing aircraft capable of aerial refueling and pass sensor data to other aircraft, naval vessels, and ground forces. Sensor data is transmitted at appropriate classification levels, to exploitation nodes afloat and ashore (e.g. Distributed Common Ground System - Navy). The MQ-25 system is sustainable onboard an aircraft carrier, as well as ashore, and is designed to minimize the logistics footprint. MQ-25 achieves these capabilities through the use of a carrier-suitable, semi-autonomous, unmanned Air Segment and the Unmanned Carrier Aviation (UCA) Mission Control System (UMCS) that provides CVN infrastructure modifications and hardware to support MQ-25 operations aboard all NIMITZ class carriers (except CVN 68), all delivered and planned FORD class carriers, and operational shore sites. The Government is the Lead Systems Integrator (LSI), providing government-led system of systems integration for the MQ-25 Program. The program coordinates across all segments and with external stakeholders to ensure program activities are synchronized. MQ-25 interfaces with existing ship and land-based command and control systems. The MQ-25 Program of Record is comprised of 76 air vehicles. Of the 76, four are Engineering Development Models (EDMs) and five are System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTAs), all of which are/were incrementally funded using RDT&E funds. The remaining 67 aircraft are funded with Aircraft Procurement, Navy (APN). Pertinent RDT&E testing milestones: Initial Test and Evaluation: 3Q FY2024 - 4Q FY2028 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation: 2Q FY2028 - 4Q FY2028 Initial Operational Capability: 3Q FY2027
Justification
Justification — MQ-25
The FY 2026 request supports the procurement of three Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) MQ-25 aircraft, and the advance procurement of long-lead materials in support of three LRIP MQ-25 aircraft. The LRIP and LRIP Advanced Procurement contract awards are planned for March 2026. Engines and Contractor Furnished Equipment (CFE)/Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) cost elements are to procure specific equipment needed for that year's aircraft buy. GFE includes, but is not limited to, Advanced Networking Tactical System (ANTS), Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS)/Joint Tactical Radio System- (JTRS), Conformal-Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (C-CRPA), Advanced Digital Antenna Production -Antenna Electronic (ADAP-AE), Wideband SATCOM terminals and Commercial SATCOM service (Skyhook), Air Refueling Pod (ARS A/A42R-1), and Airborne Radio Communications (ARC-210). REC Flyaway ECO is required to address design changes and design corrections in order to incorporate these into the production line. Tooling supports production rate/supplier tooling for the airframe in support of the current production ramp through Full Rate Production. NRE supports Production Readiness Reviews leading to a Production Configuration Audit. Obsolescence supports obsolescence redesigns necessary to deliver a fully usable end item at the start of LRIP Lot 1. Airframe PGSE supports the phased approach of procuring/fielding Common and Peculiar Support Equipment as well as the establishment of organic Intermediate (I) and Depot (D) level repair capability. Peculiar Training Equip includes funding for Mission System Trainer (MST) 1 located at Pt. Mugu, CA, which includes costs for Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), NAWCAD Simulation Division (SimDiv), and additional hardware. Production Support requirements are for Government and Contractor Support Services (CSS) annualized support of the overarching production program. Production Support requirements are annualized efforts required to provide acquisition support, aircraft configuration management, initial supportability standup activities, and engineering support for production. Integrated Logistics Support requirements are for the portion originally embedded in "Production Support" that organically provides logistics elements for stand-up activities associated with aircraft production and eventual fleet transition. Tech data category includes all publication material necessary to support production configuration stand-up efforts. This includes the development and distribution of maintenance repair manuals essential for operation and sustainment of production aircraft. FY 2022 to FY 2026 Initial Spares are required to support MQ-25 fleet operations and deployments beginning in FY 2027 and establish sparing inventory and long lead-time items for follow on fleet operations and deployments. The MQ-25 first deployment consists of three EMD aircraft and is not tied to APN-4 aircraft. Full funding for every end item requesting advance procurement is included in the budget submission. The FY 2026 request for MQ-25 includes $407.046 million of discretionary and $100.0 million of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of $507.046 million. The mandatory funds are to be utilized with the discretionary funding in the procurement of 3 A/C for the MQ-25 LRIP LOT 1 A/C. Further information for this reconciliation request is provided in Section 20007 (Air Superiority) of the Reconciliation Exhibit. The tables in this budget exhibit do not include the $100.0 million of mandatory funding skewing the unit cost per aircraft. Aircraft recurring flyaway unit cost is actually $161.510 million per a/c vice $107.084 million reflected in budget exhibit. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $4.099 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $2.706 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit P-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY24 Actuals | $12.0M |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY25 Enacted | $50.0M |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY26 Disc. Request | $459.2M |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY26 Reconciliation | $100.0M |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY26 Total | $559.2M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $97.5M | $12.0M | $50.0M | $459.2M | $459.2M |
Follow the dollar
Appropriation → program element → top high-confidence awards → recipient families → congressional districts.
Follow-the-dollar covers 312 of 1,938 programs — only high-confidence budget→award links are shown. why coverage is partial? →
The diagram illustrates the cited table below — amounts shown in the diagram are transaction sums per award (no citation chips); the per-district obligations in the table cite USAspending queries.
| District | Program obligations |
|---|---|
| MO-01 | $59.4M |
Related awards
Award linkage is shown for 32 of 200 profiled companies — high- and medium-confidence USAspending matches, each row labeled; medium is the weaker evidence. why partial award coverage? →
Rows marked medium rest on evidence weaker than a program-level match, and of more than one kind. An account-based row, where the award drew from the same appropriation account as this program, is an association, not evidence that this program paid for the contract. Where the evidence is instead an FPDS acquisition-program tag or a subaward description, the program is established but which of its budget lines paid is not. An announcement link a recorded review did not leave standing is medium too. Only high rows rest on the contract naming this program with a recorded review upholding it and no recorded rejection or refutation applying.
| Recipient | PIID | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| THE BOEING COMPANY | N0001922C0048 | high |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | N0001922F2498 | medium |
Contractor concentration
No concentration index is published for this line. This line's high-confidence links do not clear the floor for a published concentration index — at least 3 awards across 2 contractor families holding positive obligations, with positive net linked dollars. An index below that floor is a fact about the sample, not about the market. Whatever further links this line carries are medium-confidence, and what each medium evidence path does and does not establish is set out in the methodology. Both bases are in the downloadable warehouse.
Lobbying mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not MQ-25. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,938 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: Procurement Programs (P-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit P-1 · O343,O344,O345
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_P-1_Procurement.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: Procurement Programs (P-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit P-1 · O347,O348,O349
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_P-1_Procurement.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: Procurement Programs (P-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit P-1 · O348,O349,O350
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_P-1_Procurement.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.