Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has received a $34.8-million contract to continue its support services for the US Marine Corps’ XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aerial system development.
The deal will extend the company’s assistance to the mission systems and subsystem integrations under the Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer – Portfolio, which is now transitioning into the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aerial System Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft program this year.
Tasks encompass additional non-recurring engineering and material support as well as corresponding flight tests.
Work for the project will be facilitated in California, Oklahoma, and Maryland.
“The Valkyrie is validating the thesis that uncrewed system development and evaluation can be executed at a fraction of the cost and schedule required for manned military jet aircraft systems,” Kratos Umanned Systems Division President Steve Fendley stated.
“The immediate takeaway is recognizing that uncrewed systems can be teamed in the very near term with existing fielded manned aircraft—reducing risk and increasing effectiveness and life of the manned systems long before replacement or next generation manned systems can be fielded, not to mention afforded. It’s an incredible opportunity.”
The Valkyrie System
The XQ-58A Valkyrie is being built to take on a “wingman” role for advanced fighter jets, providing scouting and firepower support for the US military’s manned fleet.
The drone measures 30 feet (9 meters) long, has a wingspan of 27 feet (8 meters), and offers an interior payload capacity of 600 pounds (272 kilograms).
It is powered by a Williams FJ33 turbofan engine for speeds greater than Mach 0.9 (691 miles/1,111 kilometers per hour), a service ceiling of 45,000 feet (13,716 meters), and a range of 3,000 nautical miles (3,452 miles/5,556 kilometers).
Prior to its latest Valkyrie contract, Kratos tested the platform’s compatibility with an advanced tactical communications system, a trolley-based launch system, and an electronic warfare attack suite.
