Boeing's offering for the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft carrier-based tanker program. (Photo: Boeing) By Jay. A. Stout, Writer. The Navy desperately needs new ships, aircraft and weapons as it prepares for the coming war with China. But instead of procuring them in the numbers it needs, the service has wasted-and continues to waste-money on ill-considered programs. Examples include the Littoral Combat Ship, which has cost $60 billion-twice the initial projections.