The event, which occurred earlier this month during the annual Emerald Flag joint exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, comes as the Corps is conducting research, development, test and evaluation for its Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer-Portfolio (PAACK-P) program, and the U.S. military writ large is pursuing new manned-unmanned teaming capabilities and next-generation drones known as collaborative combat aircraft.

The Valkyrie, built by Kratos, “effectively demonstrated its capabilities as a forward deployed sensing platform — providing critical threat targeting data to Marine Corps fifth-generation aircraft to rapidly close advanced kill chain,” the Marines said in a release Thursday announcing the results of the flight test, adding that it “contributed broad airborne and surface sensor awareness information to multiple ground and airborne joint network participants.”

The drone is 30 feet long with a 27-foot wingspan; has a dry weight of 2,500 pounds; 600-pound internal payload capacity; Mach 0.72 cruise speed; and maximum range of approximately 3,000 nautical miles, according to a Kratos data sheet. It costs a few million dollars per platform.

The uncrewed system was originally developed for the Air Force Research Lab’s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) initiative, and it has also participated in AFRL’s Skyborg program aimed at furthering technology for autonomous systems and robotic wingmen.

In December 2022, the Pentagon announced that the Department of the Navy had awarded a $15.5 million contract to Kratos for two Valkyries.

A year ago, the Marines kicked-off light testing of the system for the PAACK-P initiative.

A second test was conducted in February. In a release announcing the successful completion of that event, the Corps referred to the system as a “highly autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle.”

The third test, which occurred in September, added Link-16 capabilities.

In a statement, Col. Derek Brannon, branch head for the Cunningham Group, deputy commandant for aviation, said the most recent demonstration that happened this month focused on the use of tactical data links to enable digital communication between the XQ-58A, a four-ship of F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214 and other aircraft from the joint force.

“This test flight marked the capstone event for the PAACK-P Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve project and proved the tactical utility of uncrewed offboard sensing platforms,” Lt. Col. Bradley Buick, the Cunningham Group’s future capabilities officer, said in a statement.

The Marines planned to conduct six flight tests of the drone for the program, officials said last year.

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The flight was conducted by the 40th Flight Test Squadron on Aug. 22 at the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range. Building upon a previous demonstration in July that trained the algorithms controlling the vehicle’s flight, the latest test pit the Valkyrie drone against “simulated opponents using simulated mission systems and simulated weapons,” according to an AFRL release. 

“The opportunity to fly alongside this trained AI-piloted air vehicle really set into stone this technology is very real and here to stay,” Capt. Tyler Brown, autonomy flight test lead at the Air Force, said in a statement.  “I feel we are at an inflection point of an exponential curve for the application of AI. It is imperative we understand the power of AI, its strengths and weaknesses, and that it is implemented in the right way.”

The event helped the Air Force train a “tactical autonomy algorithm,” according to AFRL. This demonstrates a shift from algorithms tested at the previous flight, which focused on performing common aviation, navigation and safety-related tasks while the Valkyrie drone flew alongside an F-15E Strike Eagle jet.

The ongoing demonstrations with the Valkyrie, which is manufactured by defense-tech company Kratos, are building upon previous work done by AFRL for the Skyborg Vanguard program.

The efforts are closely linked to the Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) program, which aims to develop autonomous systems that will serve as robotic wingmen for the service’s current and future aircraft. The Air Force is planning for a fleet of 1,000 CCAs, hoping to begin fielding before the end of this decade.

The AI algorithms tested during the August demonstration used neural networks — a type of machine learning process that teaches computers to process data in a manner inspired by the human brain — to fly a real-world Valkyrie drone against the simulations, the AFRL release said. 

“AI testing requires combining new and traditional test and evaluation techniques. The team has a lot of lessons learned that will be used to inform future programs,” Ryan Bowers, lead test engineer for the effort, said in a statement.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to DefenseScoop’s questions about the specifics of the types weapons and opponents that were simulated during the flight test.

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The event took place on July 25 near the Eglin Test and Training Complex in Florida. The artificial intelligence agents that piloted the unmanned jet were developed by AFRL’s autonomous air combat operations team, according to a release.

The Valkyrie is manufactured by Kratos.

AFRL has been working on these types of technologies in recent years as part of the Skyborg program.

The recent test took place as the Air Force is pursuing a new generation drones enabled by AI and machine learning, for the service’s collaboration combat aircraft (CCA) program. The autonomous systems are expected to serve as robotic wingmen for Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter jets and other manned aircraft and conduct other missions on their own. The Air Force is currently planning for 1,000 CCA drones, and it hopes to begin fielding them before the end of this decade. It plans to spend more than $6 billion on the program and related projects over the next five years.

Col. Tucker Hamilton, chief of AI test and operations for the Air Force, said last week’s test — during which an F-15E Strike Eagle from the 96th Test Wing’s 40th Flight Test Squadron flew in formation with an XQ-58A — has major implications for the CCA initiative.

“The mission proved out a multi-layer safety framework on an AI/ML-flown uncrewed aircraft and demonstrated an AI/ML agent solving a tactically relevant ‘challenge problem’ during airborne operations,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This sortie officially enables the ability to develop AI/ML agents that will execute modern air-to-air and air-to-surface skills that are immediately transferrable to the CCA program.”

The Air Force did not provide more details about the tactical scenario.

According to an AFRL release, the algorithms benefited from millions of hours of high-fidelity simulation events, 10 sorties on the X-62 VISTA test aircraft, “hardware-in-the-loop” events with the Valkyrie, and ground test operations.

“AI will be a critical element to future warfighting and the speed at which we’re going to have to understand the operational picture and make decisions,” AFRL Commander Brig. Gen. Scott Cain said in a statement. “AI, Autonomous Operations, and Human-Machine Teaming continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace and we need the coordinated efforts of our government, academia, and industry partners to keep pace.”

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The deal comes as the U.S. military is pursuing robotic wingmen and other uncrewed aircraft that can operate more autonomously than today’s UAS and are less expensive than manned platforms. However, little information is publicly available about the specific Navy portfolio referenced in the Dec. 30 Defense Department contract announcement, suggesting it may be shrouded in secrecy.

The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with Kratos, which was not competitively procured, is for the purchase and delivery of two XQ-58A platforms “with sensor and weapon system payloads to accomplish the penetrating affordable autonomous collaborative killer – portfolio objectives, including technical services non-recurring engineering, system/subsystem integration, installation, testing, ground and flight operations, logistics, and maintenance for the UAS as well as government-owned, contractor-operated operations for flight test and demonstration events at government test ranges,” according to the DOD announcement.

The Naval Air Warfare Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity, and the funding is coming from the Navy’s fiscal 2022 RDT&E funds.

Work will be performed in Sacramento, California, and is slated to be completed in September.

DefenseScoop submitted a list of questions to Naval Air Systems Command to get more information about the “penetrating affordable autonomous collaborative killer” tech portfolio but has yet to receive a response.

However, the name of the portfolio suggests that the systems the Navy is looking for must be long range; capable of evading enemy air defenses through stealth or other means; low cost; lethal; operate with limited human intervention; and be able to team with other platforms.

The XQ-58A Valkyrie could fit the bill, based on information that’s publicly available and U.S. military statements.

The system is 30 feet long with a 27-foot wingspan; has a dry weight of 2,500 pounds; 600-pound internal payload capacity; Mach 0.72 cruise speed; and maximum range of approximately 3,000 nautical miles, according to a Kratos data sheet.

Additionally, the drone only costs a few million dollars per platform.

The drone was originally developed for the Air Force Research Lab’s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) initiative, and the platform has also participated in AFRL’s Skyborg program aimed at furthering technology for autonomous systems and robotic wingmen.

“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, enabling it to perform a variety of missions. It is runway-independent, offering maximum operational flexibility to the warfighter,” according to AFRL.

The drone is “stealthy” and can deploy a mix of weapons from its internal bomb bay and wing stations, according to Kratos.

Developing “collaborative combat aircraft” that can serve as robotic wingmen for Next-Generation Air Dominance fighters and other Air Force planes is a top priority for Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall — who has cited the success of Skyborg, among other Defense Department programs, as an indicator that the concept is viable.

In July, Kratos issued a press release trumpeting the completion of a series of flight tests for the Skyborg program with two production aircraft.

The XQ-58A has also been involved in projects “for several customers and applications” and there are ongoing efforts “related to production, specific mission applications, and operational development of the XQ-58A family of affordable, high speed, tactical UAVs,” per the release.

“Kratos is excited to expand the use of the Valkyrie and offer its capabilities and the Kratos advantage of affordability to the Navy with our first major tactical contract with the branch, which internal investments and our established production line enable us to deliver the aircraft with effectively zero lead time,” Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division, said in a statement to DefenseScoop.

“As the application of UAS in conflicts and in prevention of conflicts continues to increase around the world, the ability for Kratos to support with affordable and ready-now, uncrewed aircraft across all branches is substantial,” he added.

Echoing statements by DOD officials and other observers, Fendley said these types of platforms could be “game-changers,” but he suggested the Pentagon’s acquisition system needs to move faster than it often does.

“It’s imperative that we don’t let better be the enemy of the good enough — and begin fielding available technologies today that can satisfy the current need space. Evolution of the systems, capabilities, and methods will naturally occur; but the initial need is here today,” he said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Kratos’ Steve Fendley.

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