XQ-58 Valkyrie

An attritable, stealthy uncrewed combat aerial vehicle — designed by Kratos and integrated by Northrop Grumman — that bridges the gap between experimental loyal-wingman demonstrator and the US Marine Corps’ first operational collaborative combat aircraft, with a target fielding date of summer 2029.

Overview

The XQ-58 Valkyrie is a runway-optional, attritable uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that originated as a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) low-cost attritable strike demonstrator and has since migrated into a US Marine Corps program of record. A single Williams FJ33 turbofan and a modular payload bay support electronic attack, strike, ISR, and launched-effects missions. Priced by its manufacturer at around $4 million per airframe at moderate production rates, the design trades payload depth against a low unit cost that is intended to make battlefield loss economically acceptable. In January 2026 the Marine Corps formally selected the Northrop Grumman/Kratos team for the MUX TACAIR collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) requirement, putting the Valkyrie on a path to become the service’s first operational loyal wingman by summer 2029, according to The War Zone.

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