The US Marine Corps has selected Northrop Grumman and Kratos as the sole bidder for the MUX TACAIR program, worth up to $231.5 million. The teaming arrangement will integrate mission equipment onto Kratos's XQ-58 Valkyrie aircraft with Northrop's Prism software for autonomy.
The US Air Force has awarded contracts to Beehive Industries, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, and a team-up of GE Aerospace and Kratos to mature engine designs in support of conceptual designs for Combat Collaborative Aircraft Increment 2. The awards are part of the Air Force's drone wingmen CCA program, which aims to develop engines that are affordable, high-performing, and can be produced rapidly and at a large scale.
The US Air Force has begun flight testing with a drone wingman carrying an inert weapon underwing. Anduril's YFQ-44A and General Atomics' YFQ-42A are part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which aims to develop drones for future combat.