Northrop Grumman to develop US Marines’ CCA with Kratos’ Valkyrie UAS

Northrop Grumman has won a contract of undisclosed value to develop a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) from the US Marine Corps’ Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR). This award, the company says, combines Northrop Grumman’s uncrewed capabilities and autonomous leadership with the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). The CCA will work alongside crewed fighters to provide air dominance in high-threat environments.

“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,” says Steve Fendley, president Kratos Unmanned Systems Division.

Northrop Grumman says it will develop and rapidly deliver platforms that include:

• Advanced Mission Kit:Northrop Grumman’s cost-effective mission kit is inclusive of sensors and software-defined technologies designed specifically for uncrewed aircraft and that can deliver various kinetic and non-kinetic effects,
• Open Architecture Autonomy Software:Northrop Grumman’s open architecture autonomy software package, known as Prism, will manage the aircraft’s operations autonomously
• Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie UAS:Fully equipped for a variety of missions that will include conventional take-off and landing capabilities, enhanced runway flexibility with a modular airframe and payload bays for customizable effects

Northrop Grumman, Kratos and their commercial partners say they have packaged the CCA sensors and other mission capabilities into a smaller envelope compatible with an uncrewed platform and have developed a missionized CCA that includes survivability, connectivity, lethality and supportability elements.

With more than 20 successful flight demonstrations in operationally relevant environments, Northrop Grumman says it and Kratos are offering the USMC a low risk, expedited path to MUX TACAIR mission capability.

Northrop Grumman has decades of autonomous experience and has achieved more than 500,000 autonomous flight hours, the company says. It builds capabilities that support the entire spectrum of uncrewed solutions including the Group 3 Lumberjack UAS, Project Talon and Project Beacon.