A US Marine assumed command of a Valkyrie collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that flew beyond line of sight during an electronic warfare test, controlling the drone as it operated alongside crewed fighter jets.
After lifting off from a zero-length launcher, the Valkyrie’s control was transferred from a Kratos ground control station to a human-machine interface developed by Boston-based Autonodyne.
The handoff allowed a US Marine operator to control the Valkyrie over a beyond-line-of-sight command-and-control datalink, which Kratos said was successfully validated during the flight.
The Valkyrie flew alongside multiple US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35 fighter jets and an F/A-18 during the test, although Kratos did not disclose the payload carried by the CCA.
The mission took place at a US Navy test range in Southern California in April and successfully met coordinated electronic warfare test objectives before the Valkyrie autonomously returned to its recovery point.
The Expeditionary Maritime Aviation-Advanced Development Team led the test, with support from USMC and US Navy test and evaluation squadrons, Autonodyne, Kratos, and Northrop Grumman.
Pending Work With the Marines
Earlier this year, the USMC selected Kratos and Northrop Grumman to develop a new CCA under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) program.
The companies are developing a missionized Valkyrie air vehicle, with the first prototype expected to be completed by the end of summer 2026.
“The Valkyrie team continues to pave the way and demonstrate critical unmanned technologies that allow the [USMC] and our military partners to effectively close kill chains in contested environments,” said Steve Fendley, president of unmanned systems division at Kratos.
“This is supported by significant internally funded investments across US facilities to deliver affordable, high-performance systems at the pace and scale required by today’s warfighter.”
