XQ-58 Valkyrie
Country: 
United StatesManufacturer: Kratos Defense / AFRL
The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is the USAF's attritable Loyal Wingman prototype: a low-cost (~$3 M) stealth jet designed to fly alongside F-35 and NGAD as an autonomous wingman, it is the testbed of the Skyborg AI program for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is the USAF's attritable Loyal Wingman prototype: a low-cost (~$3 M) stealth jet designed to fly alongside F-35 and NGAD as an autonomous wingman, it is the testbed of the Skyborg AI program for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
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- Reliability
- Unverified
- Sources
- Sources pending review
Identity
- Designation
- XQ-58 Valkyrie
- Alias
- Kratos XQ-58A / Loyal Wingman attritable
- Manufacturer
- Kratos Defense / AFRL
- Country
- United States
- Year
- 2019
- Category
- UCAV (Combat UAV)
- Class
- Tactical (< 600 kg)
- Status
- In sviluppo
Performance
- Range
- 5556 km
- Endurance
- ~5 h
- Top speed
- Mach 0.72 (~900 km/h)
- Service ceiling
- 13,700 m
- Propulsion
- Turbofan Williams FJ33-5 da ~1.700 lbf
Physical characteristics
- MTOW
- 2722 kg
- Payload
- 272 kg
- Hardpoints
- 2
- Weapons
- GBU-39 SDB nei vani interni, Altius-600 swarming drones
Onboard systems
- Sensors
- EO/IR modulare, AI on-board (Skyborg autonomy core)
- Datalink / control
- Datalink MADL/Link 16, autonomia AI in contested EW
- Launch
- Lancio a razzo da rampa (rocket-assisted), no pista necessaria
- Recovery
- Atterraggio a paracadute
Combat use
- ▸First flight at Yuma Proving Ground (March 2019)
- ▸Skyborg ACE tests with autonomous AI (2023) — Eglin AFB
- ▸USMC selection for Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer program (2024)
- ▸USAF CCA Increment 1 testbed (2024-)
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History
Developed from 2016 under the LCAAT (Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology) program, it first flew in March 2019 from Yuma Proving Ground. In 2023 it became the first UAV to fly with a USAF AI agent in command.
In 2024 the USMC selected the Valkyrie for the Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer (PAACK) program, and the USAF integrated it as a testbed for the CCA Increment 1 program.
On the development side, the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie pioneers the attritable Loyal Wingman concept: a low-cost (~$3 M per unit) stealth jet launched without a runway by rocket booster, it is the testbed for the USAF Skyborg AI program and the future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
On the future-autonomous-warfare front, the Valkyrie carried out in 2023 the first fully autonomous AI-commanded simulated combat, a milestone toward the wingman drones that will fly alongside F-35 Lightning II and NGAD in the 2030s.
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