Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie to be 1st US Marines collaborative combat aircraft
August 18, 2025
The Kratos Defense XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, once a bold prototype, now stands ready for combat and export.
The US Marine Corps has designated Valkyrie as its first Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme of record – an official, funded acquisition line – signalling that this high-tech drone is moving firmly out of testing and into real-world operations.
The Valkyrie also embodies a broader Pentagon shift towards attritable aircraft: low-cost, low-maintenance drones designed to be fielded in numbers, tolerate losses, and deliver massed combat power alongside fighter jets.
“In Kratos’ tactical drone business, it was recently reported that both the US Marine Corps and the Office of the Secretary of Defense stated that the Valkyrie is becoming a programme of record and will be the first CCA in production and fielded for the Marines,” said CEO Eric DeMarco on the company’s latest earnings call.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie is a high-speed, long-range, low-cost unmanned platform designed to offer maximum utility at minimum cost. Developed through an Air Force Research Laboratory partnership with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, the Valkyrie was successfully designed, built, and demonstrated after only two and a half years from contract award to first flight.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie: From factory floor to front line
Kratos made the unusual move to start serial production of 24 Valkyrie drones before securing a contract. This was intended to demonstrate the aircraft, cost structure, and manufacturing quality directly to customers.
“We made the investment to begin production of 24 Valkyries … customers could come to the factory, see their aircraft being built, see their aircraft fly,” DeMarco explained.
Thanks to that foresight, Kratos now has 15 to 20 Valkyries ready for immediate delivery, positioning it well to respond swiftly to orders. DeMarco illustrated the upside:
“If in 2026, hypothetically, Kratos receives an initial order for 15 Valkyries at $10 million each, we could have an immediate revenue increase … of $150 million … with profit as the Valkyrie is already in production.”
Taking the Valkyrie to the international market
The drone isn’t limited to US operations. Airbus is partnering with Kratos to develop a European-focused Valkyrie variant. This version is squarely aimed at the German Luftwaffe, with expectations to field it by 2029.
“That’s why Airbus partnered with Kratos,” said DeMarco, “Airbus wants to work with the company that has real flying products … not just promises.”
Kratos is also pursuing two additional Valkyrie projects with undisclosed customers, where it currently holds a sole-source position. Planning is already underway for another production run of 24 Valkyries, doubling total output to 48 units and incorporating:
- Runway-independent models
- CTOL (Conventional Takeoff and Landing) variants with landing gear
- European-specific versions
- Additional custom variants
“By maintaining the Valkyrie production line, we will continue to improve production efficiencies and reduce cost … further establishing Kratos’ leadership position with actual aircraft and real known cost points,” DeMarco added.
The Valkyrie drone: Real, operational and proven
Since its maiden flight in 2019, Valkyrie has flown with nearly every US fighter jet, from F-35s to F-22s, across multiple locations and scenarios.
Unlike many competitors still at the design stage, it is a platform already integrated with manned aircraft and in active flight testing.
“Valkyrie exists, is flying and has been flying since 2019. The Valkyrie is real,” DeMarco emphasised.
DeMarco also highlighted other Kratos drone programmes such as the Thanatos, Apollo, Athena, and Airwolf, reinforcing a growing family of tactical systems.
Unmanned vehicles are increasingly used to perform missions previously accomplished by piloted aircraft. However, some of the Air Force’s most commonly used unmanned aircraft are highly sophisticated and costly platforms and are limited to permissive environments. Additionally, they require frequent inspections and maintenance to ensure mission readiness.
The XQ-58A addresses the issues of cost, maintenance, and attrition tolerance, and is capable of achieving the same vital missions as existing aircraft, both manned and unmanned. The employment of a class of attritable aircraft like the XQ-58A provides the warfighter the opportunity to project air power with mass, complexity, and unpredictability.
Industry analysts note that the Valkyrie’s transition to a programme of record is significant not only for Kratos but for the US military’s evolving approach to unmanned systems: attritable drones that can be produced quickly, in numbers, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional combat aircraft.
As DeMarco put it: “At Kratos, we’ve already done it.”
