Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie

Lore & Background

The XQ-58 Valkyrie fell within the USAF Research Laboratory's Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) portfolio, whose objectives included designing and building UCAVs faster by developing better design tools and using commercial manufacturing processes to reduce production time and cost. The LCAAT was to escort the F-22 or F-35 during combat missions and to deploy weapons or surveillance systems. The LCAAT was eventually turned into the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program, which Kratos was awarded a contract for in 2021 but lost out to General Atomics in 2023, which developed the XQ-67A. The USAF determined the XQ-58 airframe was too small to meet the requirements of the collaborative combat aircraft program.

The XQ-58 is designed to act as a loyal wingman controlled by a parent aircraft to accomplish tasks such as scouting, defensive fire, or absorbing enemy fire. It features stealth technology with a trapezoidal fuselage with a chined edge, V-tail, and an S-shaped air intake. The XQ-58 can operate as part of a swarm of drones, with or without direct pilot control. There are three variants of XQ-58A: one designed for rocket boosted launch from a rail system, one designed for trolley launch and parachute landing, and one with landing gear capable of conventional take-offs and landings but sacrificing payload capacity from four to two GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. All three versions can be launched from 'nondescript launch modules', such as support ships, shipping containers, and semi-trailer trucks.

In April 2025, Kratos officials stated that they were 'pretty close to having a couple final versions of the aircraft' for the Marine Corps, which had been testing it extensively as part of the PAACK-P program. At least two mission configurations were announced to exist in a production status at Kratos' Oklahoma facilities, with Kratos indicating readiness to accept a more substantial production order. At least five XQ-58 variants are in development, and it is unclear which variants were in production, though defense analysts speculated that one would be optimized for electronic attack and the other for kinetic strikes.

Reader's Guide

The XQ-58 Valkyrie represents a significant step in the U.S. military's pursuit of attritable, loyal wingman unmanned aircraft. Its development under the LCAAT portfolio aimed to reduce production time and cost, with Kratos claiming a unit cost as low as $2 million at high production rates. The aircraft's first flight in March 2019 and subsequent tests, including the release of an Altius-600 small UAS from its internal weapons bay in March 2021, demonstrated its capabilities. The U.S. Marine Corps ordered two XQ-58s for testing under the PAACK-P program in December 2022, and the U.S. Navy ordered two in January 2023. In April 2024, Kratos announced the MQ-58B model, an electronic attack variant intended for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and future variants with underwing hardpoints for munitions. On January 8, 2026, the U.S. Marine Corps officially selected Northrop Grumman and Kratos to develop its first operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft, transitioning the XQ-58 from an experimental testbed into a loyal wingman aircraft. Internationally, Airbus partnered with Kratos in July 2025 to develop an uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft based on the XQ-58A for the German Air Force, with Airbus acquiring two airframes by April 2026 for development of a Bundeswehr 'Jagdbomberdrohne' targeting operational use by 2029.

Did You Know?

• The XQ-58 Valkyrie was initially designated the XQ-222.
• Its first flight took place on 5 March 2019 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
• In March 2021, the XQ-58A opened its internal weapons bay for the first time and released an Altius-600 small UAS.