The U.S. Marine Corps has concluded the second test of its XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned air vehicle at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, achieving a milestone in its aviation modernization strategy.
The Kratos Defense & Security Solutions-manufactured XQ-58A drone serves as a testbed platform supporting the service branch’s prototyping and integration efforts for new concepts such as autonomous flight and manned-unmanned teaming, the Marie Corps said Wednesday.
Results from the latest flight test will inform the implementation of the Marine Corps’ modernization initiative, called Project Eagle, which supports the service branch’s Force Design 2030 restructuring plan.
“The future battlespace demands new aviation platforms that embrace the austere environment and bring the fight to the enemy at a place of our choosing,” said Lt. Col. Bradley Buick, future capabilities officer for the Cunningham Group.
The XQ-58A has six planned test flights that will assess the potential for artificial intelligence-powered platforms to assist combat air patrols.
In October 2023, the Marine Corps conducted the Valkyrie’s first flight test in collaboration with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.