{"id":40710,"date":"2020-12-15T15:41:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T15:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:42:27","slug":"navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy has unveiled a new warrant officer specialty for those who will be operating the MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based refueling drone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service is gearing up to recruit approximately 450 warrant officers, in grades W-1 through W-5, for the new aerial vehicle operator (AVO) warrant officer specialty, designated 737X, over the next six to 10 years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/Press-Office\/News-Stories\/Article\/2441013\/navy-announces-aerial-vehicle-operator-warrant-officer-specialty\/fbclid\/IwAR0l2p07Y_Ie9d55A9HCEbZSFiASxzI9Mf7P3p_IBTyMyvtRaU3qX4QvgJ0\/\" target=_blank>according to a Navy news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAVOs will start out operating the MQ-25 Stingray, the Navy\u2019s first carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle, which is expected to join the fleet with an initial operating capability in 2024,\u201d Capt. Christopher Wood, aviation officer community manager at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Millington, Tennessee, said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2019\/09\/19\/the-us-navys-new-autonomous-refueling-drone-takes-historic-first-flight\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MQ-25_FF_3.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The US Navy\u2019s new autonomous refueling drone takes historic first flight<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. Navy&#039;s MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drone took its first flight Sept. 19, a historic step toward integrating an unmanned aircraft into the service&#039;s powerful strike arm.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navy Recruiting Command will not start accepting applications for AVO accessions until fiscal 2022, however. Applications will be open to enlisted sailors already in the fleet, as well as \u201cstreet-to-fleet\u201d warrants, the Navy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those accepted will head to Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, to become designated as Warrant Officer 1, followed by basic flight training to receive their \u201cwings of gold\u201d and receive the AVO designator. They will also undergo advanced training on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2020\/06\/10\/if-the-us-navy-isnt-careful-its-new-unmanned-tanker-drone-could-face-a-3-year-delay\/\" target=_blank>MQ-25<\/a> aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warrant officers fit the bill because AVOs will likely advance as technical specialists during their Navy careers as they complete repetitive assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnlike traditional Navy Chief Warrant Officers, the majority of these officers will be accessed much younger and trained along the lines of current Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers in the unrestricted designators,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHowever, Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers require assignments that progress in tactical and leadership scope to be competitive for promotion, while warrant officer AVO\u2019s will be technical specialists and spend their careers as operators,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Down the line, these warrant officers may also become trained to operate other Navy unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the MQ-4C Triton, the service said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy announced in 2018 that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2018\/08\/30\/us-navy-selects-builder-for-new-mq-25-stingray-aerial-refueling-drone\/\" target=_blank>Boeing was being awarded an $805 million contract<\/a> for the design, development, fabrication, test and delivery of four MQ-25 aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy is planning on acquiring more than 70 Stingrays, with the aircraft reaching initial operational capability by 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In September 2019, the MQ-25 participated in its first test flight. Just last week, the <a href=\"https:\/\/boeing.mediaroom.com\/news-releases-statements?item=130780\" target=_blank>Navy and Boeing announced<\/a> that the MQ-25 T1 test asset had completed its first flight using an aerial refueling store at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, with Boeing test pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boeing said that it employed the Cobham ARS for the flight, noting that the ARS is the same as the one that F\/A-18s utilize for air-to-air refueling as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHaving a test asset flying with an ARS gets us one big step closer in our evaluation of how MQ-25 will fulfill its primary mission in the fleet \u2014 aerial refueling,\u201d Capt. Chad Reed, the U.S. Navy\u2019s unmanned carrier aviation program manager, said in a Boeing news release. \u201cT1 will continue to yield valuable early insights as we begin flying with F\/A-18s and conduct deck handling testing aboard a carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":76244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3305],"class_list":["post-40710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RL536WQFDRDKXL34UQPXHEN5V4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-15T15:41:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:42:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Diana Stancy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Diana Stancy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-15T15:41:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T19:42:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 509,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-15T15:41:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T19:42:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/15\\\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Navy\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-navy\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones - Navy Times","description":"In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones","og_description":"In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2020-12-15T15:41:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T19:42:27+00:00","author":"Diana Stancy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Diana Stancy","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones","datePublished":"2020-12-15T15:41:50+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T19:42:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/"},"wordCount":509,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Your Navy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/","name":"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2020-12-15T15:41:50+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T19:42:27+00:00","description":"In addition to street-to-fleet warrants, enlisted sailors will also be able to apply for the program and earn the 737X warrant officer designator.The Navy plans to recruit approximately 450 people to pilot the unmanned aerial refueler aircraft.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/15\/navy-unveils-warrant-officer-specialty-to-operate-mq-25-stingray-refueling-drones\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Navy","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/","ad_zone":"your-navy"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Navy unveils warrant officer specialty to operate MQ-25 Stingray refueling drones"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Boeing-MQ-25-MSF18-0064-523.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40723,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40710\/revisions\/40723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40710"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=40710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}