The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is a stealthy, combat UAS developed by Kratos and showcased to the U.S. Air Force as part of the Low-Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator program. It can carry flexible mission kit configurations and a mix of lethal weapons from its internal bomb bay and wing stations, providing extreme flexibility. Flying since 2019, the XQ-58 Valkyrie is a high-performance, tactical UAS capable of long-range flights at high-subsonic speeds. The aircraft is in production at Kratos’ Oklahoma City manufacturing facility.
XQ-58 Valkyrie
The XQ-58 Valkyrie is a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)/ Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) designed to operate with Joint and Allied Forces. Flying since 2019, the XQ-58 continues to pioneer tactical unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology and collaborative manned-unmanned capability.
XQ-58 Valkyrie at a Glance
Design
The Valkyrie represents a clean-sheet ACP design that provides the warfighter with a high-performance-to-cost, stealthy, highly capable collaborative aircraft. Runway flexibility allows operations from runway-independent to both austere and improved runway locations.
Speed, Range, and Altitude
The Valkyrie can travel more than 3,000 nautical miles (approximately 5,666 kilometers) and reach speeds of 0.86 Mach with altitude up to 45,000 feet (approximately 13,716 meters).
Readiness
The Valkyrie is a proven system that is in production today and flying alongside and teamed with F-35s, F-22s, F-15EXs, and F-18s from the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Multi-Role Capability
The Valkyrie can deliver a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic effectors from its internal bomb bay and wing stations.
A New Era in Collaborative Combat
The XQ-58 Valkyrie is a collaborative-combat aircraft designed to help Joint and Allied Forces be more lethal and more survivable against near-peer adversaries. Using autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI), the Valkyrie can operate independently or seamlessly integrate into manned-unmanned teaming operations.
The Valkyrie’s ability to be pre-deployed and operated remotely, without requiring runway or airfield operations, makes it a unique and critical deterrence for near-peer adversaries, while delivering maximum operational flexibility.
With design and production techniques leveraged from Kratos’ affordable jet drone target aircraft, the high-performance Valkyrie falls well within the attritable cost class.
The Valkyrie is a key technology for enabling autonomous electronic support for crewed platforms and the potential of AI-enabled systems to enhance combat air patrols, while advancing manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) objectives.
From Debut to Dominance
The XQ-58 Valkyrie is a CCA designed for joint operations with allied forces. Since its 2019 debut, it has been at the forefront of tactical UAS technology and manned-unmanned collaboration.
Watch the video to learn more.
Behind the Wings
This episode explores AI’s transformative impact on military aviation, featuring U.S. Air Force leadership and Steve Fendley, President of Kratos Unmanned Systems, alongside the XQ-58 Valkyrie—Kratos’ innovative and cost-effective unmanned tactical drone.
Watch the video to learn more.
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