Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc, Sacramento, California, is awarded a contract in the amount of $15,515.343 (cost-plus-fixed-price) for the procurement and delivery of two XQ-58A unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The contract covers sensor and weapon system payloads to achieve portfolio goals for breakthrough affordable autonomous cooperative killers, including one-time technical services, system/subsystem integration, installation, testing, ground and flight operations, logistics and maintenance for the UAS, and government contractor-operated operations for flight tests and demonstration events at government test ranges.
Work will be performed in Sacramento, California, and is expected to be completed in September 2023. At the time of award, $15,515,343 in the fiscal year 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds will be obligated, of which $15,515,343 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively bid in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 4023. Naval Air Warfare Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042123C0010).
About XQ-58A Valkyrie
The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle designed and built by Kratos for the United States Air Force Low-Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator program, under the USAF Research Laboratory’s Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) project portfolio. The LCAAT portfolio was established to break the escalating cost trajectory of tactically relevant aircraft and provide an unmanned escort or wingman aircraft alongside a crewed fighter aircraft in combat.
Representing a clean-sheet, low-cost tactical UAS, the XQ-58A is changing the paradigm for tactical UAS technology. The XQ-58A delivers a combination of long-range, high-speed, and maneuverability, along with the capability to deliver a mix of lethal weapons from its internal bomb bay and wing stations.
Runway independence and extreme range deliver maximum operational flexibility and utility to the warfighter.
Key data:
- Length: 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Wingspan: 27 ft (8.2 m)
- Dry Weight: 2500 lb (1133 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 6,000 lb (2,722 kg)
- Cruise speed: 476 knots (548 mph, 882 km/h)
- Range: 3,000 nautical miles (3,500 mi, 5,600 km)
- Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (14,000 m)
- Engine: Turbofan
You can read our coverage including U.S. Navy officials’ comments on XQ-58A from the link below;
