Role & capabilities
- Collaborative flight
- Mission autonomy experiments
- Flexible payload integration
- Runway-independent configurations
- Primary domain
- Air
- System type
- Collaborative aircraft
- Developer / manufacturer
- Kratos
- Origin / production countries
- United States
- Other names
- Valkyrie
- Variants / configurations
- XQ-58A test aircraft; Customer-specific collaborative configurations
- Operators / programme customers
- US Air Force and US Marine Corps test programmes
Evidence & current status
Public demonstrations or flight tests establish development activity, not full operational service. Advertised performance is not a complete independent test result.
Role & programme
A jet-powered collaborative aircraft used to explore autonomy, mission payloads and integration with crewed aviation. The programme also examines alternatives to conventional airfield dependence.
Government flight-test evidence supports crewed–uncrewed teaming demonstrations, while the supplier describes continuing production. These are different measures of maturity. Customer mission kits vary, and the programme is distinct from the USAF’s FQ-42 and FQ-44 Increment 1 aircraft.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | Jet-powered collaborative demonstrator family | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Launch / recovery | Runway-independent and runway-flexible configurations advertised | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Propulsion | Jet propulsion | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Dimensions | Not established from the reviewed sources. | Public data gap; no estimate substituted. Follow the source for subsequent releases. Source ↗ |
| Mass | Not established from the reviewed sources. | Public data gap; no estimate substituted. Follow the source for subsequent releases. Source ↗ |
| Endurance | Not established from the reviewed sources. | Public data gap; no estimate substituted. Follow the source for subsequent releases. Source ↗ |
| Range | More than 3,000 nmi advertised aircraft range | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Speed | Up to Mach 0.86 | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Altitude | Up to 45,000 ft | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Payload | Internal and underwing mission positions; mass not disclosed on reviewed page | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Sensors | Mission-kit-dependent configuration | Published supplier specification; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Communications / navigation | Not established from the reviewed sources. | Public data gap; no estimate substituted. Follow the source for subsequent releases. Source ↗ |
Publication history
- — Expanded catalogue profile with sourced specifications, variant distinctions, programme evidence and explicit public data gaps.
Suggest a correction to this entry →
Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.
- Kratos Valkyrie overview (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer / programme source
- US Air Force teaming tests, 3 July 2025 (opens in a new tab)Government / operator
- 2026 Marine Corps Aviation Plan announcement (opens in a new tab)Government / operator