Marines kick-off flight testing of XQ-58 Valkyrie drone for ‘penetrating affordable autonomous collaborative killer’ initiative
The event, which took place Oct. 3, was the first of six planned flight tests.
BY
JON HARPER
OCTOBER 5, 2023
The Marine Corps and its Defense Department partners this week conducted the first test flight of the service’s XQ-58 Valkyrie drone for the “penetrating affordable autonomous collaborative killer portfolio” (PAACK-P) program, the service announced Thursday.
The test, which took place Oct. 3 near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, comes as the U.S. military is pursuing new robo-jets that can team with crewed platforms.
“The Marine Corps constantly seeks to modernize and enhance its capabilities in a rapidly evolving security environment,” Lt. Col. Donald Kelly, a member of the Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation Cunningham Group and Advanced Development Team, said in a statement. “Testing the XQ-58 Valkyrie determines requirements for a highly autonomous, low-cost tactical UAS that compliments the need for agile, expeditionary and lethal capabilities in support of both the Marine Corps’ stand-in force operations in austere environments and the Joint Force.”
The service is partnering with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division on the effort.
During the flight test earlier this week, the drone “performed as expected,” the Marine Corps said in a release without providing additional details.
https://defensescoop.com/2023/10/05/marines-kick-off-flight-testing-of-xq-58-valkyrie-drone-for-penetrating-affordable-autonomous-collaborative-killer-initiative/
