Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is working on a new hypersonic drone, CEO Eric DeMarco revealed in an interview with Aviation Week earlier this week
Details about the project remain scarce, including its timeline, development status, and intended mission roles. The War Zone, citing a company spokesperson, reported that the drone is part of the Kratos Furies Family of Hypersonic Systems and is expected to be “orders of magnitude less costly than any other hypersonic system or concept in existence today.”
Kratos already operates two hypersonic glide vehicles, Erinyes and Dark Fury, which rely on a booster rocket for launch.
According to Aviation Week, the new drone can be supported by the Hypersonic System Indiana Payload Integration Facility, which Kratos broke ground on in Crane, Indiana, on Tuesday.
In a press release, Kratos said the 68,000-square-foot facility will serve as an office, laboratory, and testing complex, supporting key hypersonic vehicle and payload operations for the Multi-Service Advanced Capabilities Hypersonic Testbed (MACH-TB) program.
Kratos has yet to announce a flight date for its new hypersonic drone. “We will disclose the name of this specific system at or near initial flight,” a company spokesperson said.
