Airbus Defence and Space and US based Kratos Defense and Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS) have entered into a partnership based on the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie, a flight-proven UCCA (uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft), which will be equipped with an Airbus made mission system, combat ready for the German Air Force by 2029. The XQ-58A is a low observable, rail-launched drone with a maximum take-off weight of three tons. It is designed to deliver kinetic and non-kinetic effects, either in autonomous missions or employed with teaming capable fighter jets. The prototype has been in development for years and is able to travel 3,000 miles at an altitude of up to 45,000 ft. Airbus‘ mission system, through its platform-agnostic system architecture, is designed to integrate seamlessly into the Valkyrie and other existing and future platforms in the growing ecosystem of crewed and uncrewed platforms.
“We have designed the Valkyrie system to be an affordable and formidable CCA paired in collaborative fashion with manned aircraft, a team of uncrewed aircraft, or a mix of both. Based on Valkyrie’s proven flight capability, first demonstrated in 2019, and the many mission systems, autonomy systems, and mission scenarios tested with the system over time, we’re excited about our partnership with Airbus which will result again in a first to market Valkyrie variant, now “tuned” for the European mission,” said Eric DeMarco, CEO of Kratos.
“In the given disruptive geopolitical context, our customers have expressed an urgent demand for both attritable and non-attritable Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The collaboration of Kratos and Airbus, based on an existing and proven UAS platform and featuring a sovereign multi-platform mission system, will deliver crucial capabilities for our warfighters in Europe before the end of the decade. This partnership will help to accelerate Europe’s ability to defend itself while fostering NATO’s transatlantic ties,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.
The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed and built by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions for the United States Air Force’s Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) program, under the USAF Research Laboratory’s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) project portfolio. It was initially designated the XQ-222. The Valkyrie completed its first flight on 5 March 2019 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. On 2 April 2024, Kratos made a press release concerning an XQ-58 test with electronic warfare equipment, where it also mentioned the MQ-58B model. The MQ-58B, which is intended to fulfill the role of suppression of enemy air defenses, or SEAD, is one of at least five variants of the XQ-58 under development by Kratos.
