Valkyrie: USMC picks Northrop and Kratos CCA combo

As the US Marine Corps (USMC) looks to expedite development of its own collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), it has picked Northrop Grumman and Kratos to rapidly develop the XQ-58 Valkyrie uncrewed system. 

BLUF: 

• Northrop to provide the mission systems and sensors as well as the autonomy stack.
• Kratos to provide XQ-58 Valkyrie as the CCA in a conventional take-off and landing configuration. 
• Overall goal is for the USMC’s MUX TACAIR programme, with XQ-58 Valkyrie enhancing F-35 effectiveness in the peer/near-peer fight by providing a low-cost, riskworthy capability.

A teaming of Northrop Grumman and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions has been picked by the US Marine Corps to further develop the XQ-58 Valkyrie into a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). The two companies announced their news on January 8, stating that they will “develop and rapidly deliver” platforms based on the Valkyrie using Northrop’s Advanced Mission Kit, which includes sensors and software built for uncrewed aircraft. 

The contract is understood to be valued at $231.5 million (£172.1 million/€198.7 million) with the work to take place over 24 months, indicating delivery in or by January 2028. So far, the USMC has focused on “capability testing and refinement provided by XQ-58 payloads while working towards a minimum viable product (MVP) for MUX TACAIR,” according to the USMC’s aviation plan for 2025.

• X-Bat: Shield AI joins the CCA field, will its pedigree hold true? – Calibre Defence
• Kizilelma: Turkey hits major air combat milestones – Calibre Defence  

The effort sits within the USMC’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR), which “seeks to enhance F-35 effectiveness in the peer/near-peer fight by providing a low-cost, riskworthy capability.” What this means is not exactly clear, but the likelihood is that the XQ-58 will be developed to perform a variety of roles including stand-in jamming, long-range sensing, and a variety of kinetic engagements. 

The “riskworthy” aspect is understood to imply that it is a platform cheap enough to be lost, but capable enough to alter combat outcomes. The programme extends on the USMC’s Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer – Portfolio, or PAACK-P, which was an experimental effort to explore the possible concepts of operation for a CCA in the suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) role. General Eric Smith, the commander of the USMC, said in May 2025 that previous experiments had validated the performance of the Valkyrie in the SEAD role, adding that the marines are pivoting to be more agile and operate in a dispersed fashion. 

• Anduril’s YFQ-44A takes flight – Calibre Defence
• MQ-28 Ghost Bat Achieves Interoperability with E-7A Wedgetail – Calibre Defence  

Similar demands presumably influenced the design of the X-Bat from Shield AI, which is designed to be runway independent and vertically launched. The USMC also assumes that many of its forces will be operating within an adversary’s air defence envelope, requiring a different approach to SEAD and breaking through an air defence belt. 

Tech profile: XQ-58 Valkyrie

How does the Valkyrie shape up to other CCAs being explored by the US, like the YFQ-44A from Anduril? Well, when it was originally entered into US Air Force programmes for a CCA, it was deemed to be too small, presumably a result of its payload options. However, future configurations are expected to carry air-to-air missiles on pylons under the wings. It has also flown at least 20 test flights, including with the USMC, which indicates that the team behind it has gained some experience and knowledge of how it performs as a platform. 

Its design is quite different from the MQ-28 Ghost Bat from Boeing, Baykar Technologies’ Kizilelma, the YFQ-42A from General Atomics, or the YFQ-44A from Anduril. Those aircraft are closer to a fighter aircraft in their performance. They are designed to provide affordable mass, rather than “riskworthy” mass. As a result, they tend to be faster and more agile, designed to fly in close formation with crewed aircraft like the F-35. The XQ-58, by contrast, could be expected to push ahead of an F-35, potentially being launched from locations closer to the area of interest, rather than launching in concert with the aircraft it supports. 

Calibre comment: If the F-35 is so good, why do they need a CCA?

The F-35 is built to get inside and destroy a layered and complex air defence network such as those developed and maintained by Russia and China. The evidence from the US and Israeli operations over Iran indicate that it can perform that role quite effectively. However, the USMC, US Navy, and US Air Force are all grappling with several intractable problems in the Indo-Pacific. One is the distances involved, which will challenge the ability to deploy large forces and mass them at a point of need. These distances also mean that more platforms are needed for reconnaissance in order to cover the areas being contested. But there is also a very real need for additional mass. China has a lot of platforms including ships and air defence systems as well as its own growing air force with 5th generation fighters and its own CCAs. The US is keen to minimise the loss of experienced and well-trained personnel, as well as exquisite platforms like the F-35 that will be hard to replace in a short space of time. 

In a nutshell, platforms like the XQ-58 are expected to help US forces to degrade and break down these air defence networks, as well as enemy fighter aircraft at lower risk to allied air power. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on January 14, 2026. The lead image shows the XQ-58 Valkyrie in flight. Credit: USMC.