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Uncrewed aircraft · Air

XQ-58 Valkyrie

Kratos stealthy, runway-independent jet drone for collaborative combat missions.

by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

PrototypeUncrewed aircraftAirMilestoneOct 3, 2023
kratosdefense.com/unmanned-systems/air/uncrewed-tactical-aircraft/xq-58a
A U.S. Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie experimental aircraft in flight

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John McRell · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Air Force) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop or retouching. Credit retained for factual editorial product coverage.

Milestones20192023
  1. First flightFirst flight at Yuma Proving Ground, confirmed
  2. MilestoneFirst flight under AI-agent control, confirmed
  3. MilestoneFirst Marine Corps XQ-58A test flight, confirmed

Long-range, high-subsonic uncrewed combat aircraft developed by Kratos with the Air Force Research Laboratory under the Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology effort; flying since 2019 and in testing with the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps.

Timeline3

  1. First flightConfirmed

    First flight at Yuma Proving Ground

    The XQ-58A demonstrator flew for 76 minutes at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

    SourcesWright-Patterson Air Force Base (88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs)

  2. MilestoneConfirmed

    First flight under AI-agent control

    AFRL flew machine-learning-trained AI algorithms on an XQ-58A during a three-hour sortie at Eglin.

    SourcesDSIAC (Air Force Research Laboratory release)

  3. MilestoneConfirmed

    First Marine Corps XQ-58A test flight

    SourcesNaval Aviation News

Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Sources4

  1. 1.
    Government recordAFRL artificial intelligence agents successfully pilot XQ-58A Valkyrie uncrewed jet aircraft

    DSIAC (Air Force Research Laboratory release) · Aug 2, 2023 · Supports: System milestone

    “demonstrating the first-ever flight of AFRL-developed, machine-learning trained, artificial intelligence algorithms on an XQ-58A Valkyrie.”
  2. 2.
    Government recordXQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator completes inaugural flight

    Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs) · Mar 6, 2019 · Supports: System, System milestone

    “The Air Force Research Laboratory partnered with Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems to develop the XQ-58A.”
  3. 3.
    Government recordMarine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie Completes First Flight

    Naval Aviation News · Supports: System milestone

    “A U.S. Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie, highly autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, soars overhead during its first test flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 3, 2023.”
  4. 4.
    CompanyValkyrie

    Kratos Defense & Security Solutions · Supports: System

    “The Valkyrie is a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)/ Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) designed to operate with Joint and Allied Forces.”

Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.