Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. and its partner Airbus announced that the joint team continues to take steps towards completing an integrated Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) offering for the German Air Force and towards a maiden flight with a sovereign European mission system, the Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) system. The two companies are bringing their respective industry-leading capabilities to integrate, missionize, and ultimately produce and deliver the Airbus UCCA System and are scheduled to fly later this year. The Kratos Valkyrie is a high-performance, runway-flexible tactical unmanned aerial vehicle capable of long-range flights at high-subsonic speeds.
Combining affordability, survivability, long-range, high-subsonic speeds, maneuverability and ability to carry flexible mission kit configurations and mix of lethal weapons from its internal weapons bay and wing stations, the Valkyrie provides unmatched operational flexibility at an affordable price for both Department of War (DoW) and international customers. With a length of 9.1 m, a wingspan of 8.2 m, range of over 5,000 kilometres, maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of around three tons, the Valkyrie can fly at an altitude of up to 45,000 feet. The maiden flight of the Valkyrie already took place in the USA in 2019; and additional aircraft have been flying regularly since that time.
The maiden flight of the Airbus variant is scheduled for 2026. Fully autonomous or commanded by a Eurofighter, the Valkyrie is designed to be able to take on sensitive mission tasks that would pose too great a danger to the pilot. The UCCA can service kinetic and non-kinetic mission sets in several roles.
For the German customer, Airbus and Kratos are initially focusing on a specific role to deliver credible combat air power on time and on target.
