Valkyrie drone completes electronic warfare and BLOS testing

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has announced the successful testing of a missionized XQ-58A Valkyrie Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) during an April 2026 flight in southern California. The uncrewed jet demonstrated electronic warfare capabilities and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) command and control while flying alongside United States Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets and an F/A-18.

The test featured several technical milestones, including a runway-independent launch from a zero-length launcher and an autonomous return to the recovery point. During the mission, control of the aircraft was successfully transitioned from a Kratos ground control station to a human-machine interface developed by Autonodyne, which complies with the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture. This handover allowed a Marine operator to control the drone over a BLOS datalink.

The integrated test team was led by the Expeditionary Maritime Aviation-Advanced Development Team and included participants from the USMC, US Naval Air Test and Evaluation squadrons, Northrop Grumman, and Autonodyne.