Drone warfare has been around for decades, with the first actual use of modern drones dating back as far as the Desert Storm operation back in the 1990s. Since then, the technology has evolved so much that there’s rarely a war being waged without a drone in the sky.
The U.S. military, the organization that operates the most advanced such weapons, is currently researching the next generation unmanned combat air vehicle, the XQ-58A Valkyrie. This week, at the Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona, the Valkyrie took to the sky for the first time.
A very short 15-seconds video of the flight was posted on YouTube by the U.S. Air Force Research lab, the division working on the project. The clip shows the Valkyrie silently cruising above the desolate Arizona landscape.
The aircraft was airborne for much longer than the 15 seconds of the video though. For more than an hour, the Valkyrie showed its mastery fo flight and “behaved as expected.”
The main idea behind building the new drone was coming up with a combat vehicle whose development could “break the escalating cost trajectory of tactically relevant aircraft.”
Although not saying how much building the test prototype cost, the Air Force says it is “defined by low procurement and operating costs while providing game-changing combat capability.”
When operational, the Valkyrie will be used to assist the F-22 or F-35 fighter jets during combat missions as a weapons and surveillance platform. It will also be capable of being launched as part of a swarm of similar drones.
As per the initial specs, the aircraft will have a maximum speed of 652 mph (1,050 kph) and a range of 2,449 miles (3,941 km).
In the coming year, an additional four more tests are planned, meant to evaluate the drone’s system functionality, aerodynamic performance, and launch and recovery systems.
No information on when it could enter service was provided.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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