Northrop Grumman has been selected to develop a collaborative combat aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps, pairing its mission systems and autonomy software with Kratos’ Valkyrie uncrewed aerial system, according to the company.
The award covers the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft programme, also known as MUX TACAIR, which is intended to field an uncrewed platform capable of operating alongside crewed aircraft in contested environments. Northrop Grumman said the system will be designed to support both kinetic and non-kinetic missions as part of future Marine Corps air operations.
According to the company, the solution combines an advanced mission kit incorporating sensors and software-defined technologies with an open-architecture autonomy package known as Prism. The air vehicle itself will be based on Kratos’ Valkyrie uncrewed aircraft, which is designed for conventional take-off and landing and features a modular airframe and payload bays.
Krys Moen, vice president for advanced mission capabilities at Northrop Grumman, said: “Northrop Grumman remains at the forefront of advanced sensing capabilities, delivering innovative solutions that meet the needs of the warfighter with unmatched speed and reliability.” He added that the approach “ensures optimal performance for both crewed and uncrewed platforms.”
Kratos said the programme is intended to deliver capability at scale. Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division, said: “The integration of the Kratos Valkyrie aircraft system configured with the world’s best multifunction mission systems from Northrop Grumman results in a high-capability CCA at a price point that enables the uncrewed systems to be deployed in mass with crewed aircraft.”
Northrop Grumman stated that its mission systems have been packaged into a smaller, more cost-effective form factor suitable for uncrewed aircraft, drawing on existing products and flight-tested technologies. The company said the combined Northrop Grumman and Kratos solution has completed more than 20 flight demonstrations in what it described as operationally relevant environments.
The company added that the approach is intended to offer the Marine Corps a lower-risk and accelerated route to a deployable MUX TACAIR capability, supporting joint crewed and uncrewed expeditionary operations.
