The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick
Kratos says its XQ-58 Valkyrie autonomous combat drone program is moving into production, including variants with built-in landing gear, despite a crash this week. The company is targeting the U.S. Marine Corps and additional international customers as demand for attritable unmanned aircraft grows.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Kratos says its XQ-58 Valkyrie autonomous combat drone program is moving into production, including variants with built-in landing gear, despite a crash this week. The company is targeting the U.S. Marine Corps and additional international customers as demand for attritable unmanned aircraft grows.
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German authorities launched a counterterrorism investigation after discovering an armed drone near a runway at Leipzig Airport. The incident comes as Lithuania warns Russia could use captured Ukrainian drones in false-flag attacks on Baltic critical infrastructure, while Russia expands anti-drone defenses around strategic military sites.
Paramount has completed integration of Aselsan’s ASELFLIR-500 electro-optical/infrared sensor onto the Mwari multi-role platform, adding a capability aimed at engaging slow-speed aerial threats. The integration reflects a shift in the platform’s mission focus toward counter-drone operations.
Kratos said its XQ-58 Valkyrie stealth autonomous drone crashed upon takeoff at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah while operating in a test configuration. The incident puts a key U.S. program for autonomous, lower-cost combat aircraft under scrutiny, though no further details were provided.
The P-8A Poseidon and MQ-4C Triton were designed to operate together, but enabling Poseidon crews to directly control Tritons in flight would add new tactical options and extend the manned maritime patrol aircraft’s operational reach.
The U.S. Army has issued a request for information on the Next Generation C-sUAS Missile, seeking an interceptor compatible with Raytheon’s Coyote launcher. The effort sets a target unit price below $150,000 as the service explores additional capabilities for countering unmanned aircraft systems.
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Canada is advancing uncrewed aviation across military, commercial and emergency-response missions: the Royal Canadian Navy has deployed a Textron Aerosonde on an Arctic patrol vessel, while Voyageur ordered Airbus U030 Flexrotors and Volatus announced partnerships for sovereign intelligence and heavy-lift wildfire aircraft.
Recent demonstrations by Northrop Grumman, Boeing, the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy show accelerating investment in networked maritime autonomy: MQ-4C Triton and P-8A aircraft exchanged mission data, while British forces linked a Wildcat helicopter, drones and ground units across more than 200 miles.
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