Kratos has beaten seven other competitors to win a $40.8 million single award, cost-share contract by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to demonstrate a high-speed, long-range, low-cost, limited life-strike Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).
Image: Kratos
The company must demonstrate that its UAS can carry out missions such as Nap-of-The-Earth (NOE) Flight, Cruising at High Altitudes, Defensive Counter Air (DCA) Maneuvers, Offensive Counter Air (OCA) Maneuvers, the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and the Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD).
The drone also had to meet the following goals set by AFRL:
- UAS Acquisition Cost: $3 million or less for the first unit up to 99 units, and $2 million or less for 100 or greater unit quantity purchases.
- 1,500 nautical mile mission radius with a 500 lb. payload.
- Capable of Mach 0.9 Dash.
- Maximum G load limits, maneuver rates, and subsystem environmental suitability.
- Internal weapons capability; sized to carry and deliver at least two GBU-39 small diameter bombs.
- Runway Independent Take-off and Landing capability.
- Emphasis on the use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) materials, sub-systems, manufacturing processes, and open mission system architecture concepts.
- Tactical consideration of the vehicle shape, elimination of gaps and mismatches, and aero-structural inlet integration.