Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. announced the successful demonstration of the second of three Valkyrie launch methods: the Kratos Trolley Launch System (KTLS). The KTLS enables the Valkyrie to take off from traditional runways or straight roads, without requiring Rocket Assist Take Off (RATO) or other acceleration producing devices. For KTLS take off, which is fully autonomous, the aircraft enginethrottles up just like a conventional jet take off, and the combined system, Valkyrie and KTLS, accelerates down the runway.

Ultimately, at lift-off speed, the aircraft flies up and away (separates) from the KTLS which then deploys drogue chutes and brakes to a stop on the runway while the aircraft proceeds to its flight mission. The Kratos funded flight demonstration was conducted at the North Dakota GrandSky Range where Kratos can independently (from DoD ranges) operate its larger Collaborative Combat Aircraft class UAS like the Valkyrie. The development, production, and demonstration of the internally funded KTLS epitomizes clever conceptualization, rigorous digital engineering and physical engineering, integration, testing, and rapid production-representative manufacturing that enables a unique and effective system offering and was made possible by Kratos' 30 years of engineering experience with unmanned jet aircraft autonomous runway take off.

This Kratos-funded flight is the latest representative data point of the success of Kratos' strategy to reinigorate the U.S. defense industrial base with Kratos-funded, rapidly developed and fielded, relevant, low-cost systems by working closely with government customer/partners. Beyond its low-cost, jet-powered unmanned aerial drone systems, including Valkyrie, Mako, Air Wolf, Athena, Apollo and others, Kratos continues to successfully execute this strategy with its Erinyes hypersonic test bed which recently completed a successful first flight, its next generation TurboJet and TurboFan jet engines for drones, missiles, loitering and powered munitions, as well as Kratos OpenSpace. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address customers' mission critical needs and requirements.

Kratos' primary business areas include virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control, and a single-cost system system.