XQ-58A Valkyrie "attritable" drone at Elgin AFB demonstrating ability to take-off without a runway.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie Drone is reusable, but its $15.5M per unit cost means that that the Air Force will be willing to use it for high risk /high value missions where there is considerable risk of losing the aircraft. With a max speed of approximately 652 mph, its 3500 mile range it has considerable endurance and can loiter in its mission/target area for many hours.
The Valkyries were developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory in conjunction with San Diego-based Kratos Defense to be a high-speed, low-cost aircraft developed for the AFRL’s Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) project.
According to a statement from Kratos:
“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,”
According to the Air Force:
"This low-maintenance, reusable vehicle is an example of an “attritable” aircraft designed to be used for several missions, but built at a cost that permits it to be a combat loss. This long range aircraft is designed for high speeds and agile maneuverability,"
If necessary The XQ-58A's can operate without a runway using rockets to get airborne , then switching over to a turbofan engine. Designed to be modular, they carry a wide variety of payloads that will enable them to:
Execute intelligence / surveillance missions
Act as a communications relay
Escort fighters
Execute high risk strike missions using a variety of weapons including the small diameter bomb
Act as intermediary for F-35 and F-22 fighters, allowing them communicate with each other via the Valkyrie's special gateway payload, something not otherwise possible without an intermediary aircraft.
Many other potential missions not disclosed by the Pentagon
XQ-58A VALKYRIES ARE GO!
Some observers believe the XQ-58A Valkyrie to look similar to the Thunderbird 2 featured in the 1966 Thunderbird Series.
Valkyrie XQ-58a (lower) vs Thunderbird 2 (upper)
MARINE CORPS HAS PURCHASED TWO VALKYRIE XQ-58A'S
Two XQ-58A Valkyrie drones have already been purchased the the United States Marines to investigate future autonomous drone use in Marine Corps operations.
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