Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie

The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) built as a stealth "loyal wingman." Kratos Defense & Security Solutions designed and constructed it for the U.S. Air Force under the Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) program, part of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) project portfolio. Originally called the XQ-222, the Valkyrie first flew on March 5, 2019, at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

The Valkyrie was developed under LCAAT, which aimed to design and build UCAVs faster by improving design tools and using commercial manufacturing processes to cut production time and cost. The LCAAT was meant to escort F-22 or F-35 fighters on combat missions, carrying weapons or surveillance gear. That program later became the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) effort; Kratos won a contract for OBSS in 2021 but lost to General Atomics in 2023, which developed the XQ-67A. The Air Force determined the XQ-58's airframe was too small for the collaborative combat aircraft program's requirements.

The XQ-58 acts as a loyal wingman controlled by a parent aircraft for scouting, defensive fire, or absorbing enemy fire. It uses stealth technology, with a trapezoidal fuselage featuring a chined edge, a V-tail, and an S-shaped air intake.

It can operate in a drone swarm, with or without direct pilot control. Three XQ-58A variants exist: one rocket-boosted and launched from a rail, one launched from a trolley and recovered by parachute, and one with landing gear for conventional takeoffs and landings, though that version sacrifices payload from four to two GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. All three can launch from "nondescript launch modules" like support ships, shipping containers, or semi-trailer trucks.

Kratos officials say the company could produce 250 to 500 Valkyries per year. Unit cost is $4 million at an annual rate of 50 aircraft, and could drop below $2 million if more than 100 are built per year.

In April 2025, Kratos stated it was "pretty close to having a couple final versions of the aircraft" for the Marine Corps, which had been testing it under the PAACK-P (Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer Program). At least two mission configurations were in production at Kratos' Oklahoma facilities, with the company ready for a larger production order.