XQ-58 Valkyrie American Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

The XQ-58 Valkyrie is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for dynamic multi-mission collaborative combat operations. It serves as an Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) and tactical unmanned aerial system (UAS). The Valkyrie can operate as a wingman to manned aircraft, in teams of uncrewed aircraft, or autonomously as a single ACP. This aircraft is optimized for survivability, high subsonic speeds, and extended range and endurance, achieving up to 3,000 nautical miles while maintaining a speed of 0.85 Mach and maneuvering capability exceeding 6g. It features a large internal bomb bay, mid-wing station hardpoints, and wingtip hardpoints, providing substantial weapon deployment capabilities. Additionally, the system includes a large interchangeable nose/payload section that can be customized according to mission requirements. The Valkyrie offers maximum operational flexibility with its conventional retractable landing gear, trolley takeoff to maximize internal payload capacity, and booster takeoff for operations in austere locations where runways are unavailable. It has been designed for cost optimization by utilizing established methods, supply chains, and existing Kratos factories, resulting in a highly mission-capable system in the $10 million range. As a clean-sheet ACP design, the Valkyrie provides warfighters with a high-performance, cost-effective, stealthy, and highly capable collaborative aircraft. Its runway flexibility allows for operations from both austere and improved runway locations. The Valkyrie is a proven system currently in production, and it is actively flying alongside and teaming with F-35s, F-22s, F-15EXs, and F-18s operated by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps. The Valkyrie is capable of traveling over 3,000 nautical miles (approximately 5,666 kilometers) and achieving speeds of 0.86 Mach, with an operational altitude of up to 45,000 feet (approximately 13,716 meters). It can deliver a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic effectors from its internal bomb bay and wing stations. The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is a stealthy combat Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) developed by Kratos and presented to the U.S. Air Force as part of the Low-Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator program. It features flexible mission kit configurations and a mix of lethal weapons, providing significant operational flexibility. Since its first flight in 2019, the XQ-58 Valkyrie has proven to be a high-performance tactical UAS, capable of long-range missions at high subsonic speeds. The aircraft is currently in production at Kratos' manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City. Designed as a collaborative combat aircraft, the XQ-58 Valkyrie enhances the lethality and survivability of Joint and Allied Forces against near-peer adversaries. With the integration of autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI), the Valkyrie can operate independently or seamlessly work alongside manned aircraft in teamed operations.