Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that a missionized U.S. Marine Corps Valkyrie Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) successfully demonstrated electronic warfare capabilities and beyond-line-of-sight command and control in Southern California in April 2026. The runway-independent aircraft launched from a zero-length launcher, operated alongside multiple Marine Corps F-35s and an F/A-18, completed its electronic-warfare objectives, and autonomously returned to its recovery point.
The demonstration involved the Marine Corps and industry partners including Northrop Grumman and Autonodyne. Kratos said it was the fourth new mission-system configuration tested on Marine Corps Valkyrie platforms in less than three years, demonstrating the aircraft’s flexible architecture and ability to quickly integrate new capabilities.
The test is part of the Marine Corps’ MUX TACAIR program, which focuses on developing affordable, autonomous aircraft capable of operating alongside crewed fighters in contested environments. The system is designed to provide capabilities including electronic warfare, communications, sensing and autonomous operations.
In January 2026, Kratos and Northrop Grumman received a contract to develop missionized Valkyrie aircraft for the program. The companies aim to provide a rapidly deployable unmanned capability that can be produced and deployed at scale, with the first prototype expected in summer 2026.
