Kratos Defense and Security Solutions has moved a modified version of its XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned combat air vehicle into production, one fitted with conventional retractable landing gear rather than the expendable rail-launch and parachute-recovery system the aircraft originally used. The War Zone production announcement represents a meaningful evolution in how the Valkyrie can be fielded and sustained, broadening its potential basing options well beyond the austere or semi-prepared strips the original recovery method implied.

The development carries direct relevance to the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, under which the Valkyrie has served as a primary test and demonstration platform. Work on autonomous intercept trials involving AI-controlled aircraft has already demonstrated the service’s appetite for uncrewed wingmen that can operate alongside crewed fighters — a concept the landing-gear-equipped Valkyrie is better positioned to support at conventional airfields.

What the Gear Change Means Operationally

The original XQ-58A was designed for low-cost expeditionary operations: a rocket-assisted rail launch and a parachute landing eliminated the need for prepared runways but also limited where and how often the aircraft could be recovered and turned around. Integrating a conventional undercarriage removes that constraint, allowing the aircraft to take off and land at standard military airfields and potentially shortening turnaround times between sorties.

Kratos confirmed the new configuration is in production in a social media post that disclosed the landing-gear-equipped variant’s status.

https://x.com/StrikeWriter/status/1184585304960917506

The post did not specify production quantities, delivery schedules, or the identity of the customer, and officials have not publicly confirmed those details. The War Zone noted the significance of the change without providing additional contract or unit figures beyond what Kratos itself disclosed.

Program Context and Strategic Relevance

The XQ-58 Valkyrie first flew in March 2019 under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Low-Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator program. Since then it has logged multiple test flights and has been used to evaluate sensor-sharing and human-machine teaming concepts, including demonstrations in which the aircraft operated as an autonomous loyal wingman. The shift to conventional gear suggests the program has matured past pure experimentation toward configurations that could realistically support operational deployment or higher-tempo testing regimes.

The production step also fits within a broader Pentagon push to field affordable attritable and autonomous aircraft at scale. The Air Force has been explicit that cost and producibility are as important as performance in the CCA effort, and a variant capable of operating from existing runways reduces the specialized infrastructure the service would otherwise need. For context, the Pentagon’s interest in pairing autonomous aircraft with advanced munitions has similarly driven programs like the long-range JDAM effort, where production readiness is the threshold question. Whether the landing-gear Valkyrie feeds directly into CCA procurement or remains a test asset has not been confirmed by Air Force or Kratos officials.