Northrop Grumman Pulls Out from MQ-25 Stingray Unmanned Aerial Tanker Competition

Northrop Grumman has dropped out from the competition to produce the US Navy’s unmanned aerial tanker, the MQ-25A Stingray, the company's CEO announced Wednesday.

Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman, was quoted as saying by Defense News during an October 25 earnings call that “the particular nature of that final RFP,” or request for proposals, triggered Northrop to withdraw from the competition, but did not further clarify what parts of the solicitation raised eyebrows.

“When we’re looking at one of these opportunities, let me be clear: Our objective is not just to win. Winning is great, it feels good on the day of an announcement, but if you can’t really execute on it and deliver on it to your customer and your shareholders, then you’ve done the wrong thing,” Northrop head said.

General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Boeing are the remaining firms that will bid on the potentially lucrative program. The General Services Administration and the Pentagon will make the final determination in September 2018.