Lockheed Martin Wins Up to $58 Million for MQ-25 Stingray MDCX Software Testing

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has received a Navy contract worth up to $57.7 million to develop software, deliver a qualification-tested build and conduct integrated test and evaluation of its Multi-Domain Combat System (MDCX) for the MQ-25 Stingray test program. The award from Naval Air Systems Command also covers technical field support for installed MDCX systems. Work will take place in Marietta, Georgia; Fort Worth, Texas; and Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in September 2027.

MQ-25 MDCX Contract Details

Lockheed Martin will develop the MDCX software and produce a build that has passed qualification testing. It will then conduct integrated test and evaluation, bringing the software into the broader MQ-25 test effort rather than delivering it solely as a standalone build. The award notice does not identify particular software changes or test events.

MDCX is part of the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System, which is used to command and control the MQ-25. Lockheed Martin will also provide technical field support for MDCX systems already installed for the Navy. The work is divided among Marietta, which accounts for 42% of the effort; Fort Worth, 38%; and Patuxent River, 20%.

MQ-25 Program Background

The MQ-25 is being developed primarily to refuel carrier-based aircraft, taking on tanking missions now performed by F/A-18E/F fighters. Its control system is a major part of the program alongside the aircraft. During the MQ-25A’s first test flight in April 2026, Navy and Boeing pilots controlled the aircraft from an MD-5 ground station incorporating MDCX. The Navy approved the program to enter low-rate initial production the following month.

The control system is also being installed aboard carriers. In 2024, the Navy reported completing its first MQ-25 Unmanned Air Warfare Center aboard USS George H.W. Bush, including an MD-5E control station with MDCX. That shipboard installation provides context for the new award’s combination of software qualification, integrated testing and support for installed systems.

Award and Contractor Background

The Lockheed Martin contract was not competitively procured. It is an undefinitized award with cost-reimbursable and firm-fixed-price elements; the $57.7 million figure is its not-to-exceed value.

Other major MQ-25 awards have focused on the aircraft. The Navy awarded Boeing an engineering and manufacturing development contract in August 2018 with an $805.3 million ceiling for four development aircraft and related work. In September 2026, the Navy awarded Boeing $562 million for the first low-rate production lot of three aircraft and advance procurement for three more. Lockheed Martin’s new award addresses the MDCX control-system work supporting MQ-25 testing.

This award was disclosed by the DoW in its daily press release. Additional contract details will be available on HigherGov in approximately 90 days under N0001926C1024 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.