Kratos values Valkyrie drones at $6–8 million — The War Zone
Kratos said that its Valkyrie drones cost approximately $6 million to $8 million per unit, depending on configuration. This amount does not include separate mission systems, so a fully equipped version will cost more, The War Zone reports.
The new estimate was announced during a quarterly call with investors by Kratos President and CEO Eric DeMarco. In 2023, he estimated the Valkyrie at approximately $6.5 million, while in 2024 he cited a range of $4 million to $6 million for versions with a rocket-assisted takeoff booster. The $4 million figure was then linked to the production of a batch of 100 aircraft.
Versions for the Air Force and Marine Corps
The U.S. Air Force has operated a small number of XQ-58A Valkyries for research, testing, and evaluation work since the aircraft's first flight in 2019. The U.S. Marine Corps, which has also conducted experiments with the XQ-58A, is purchasing a version fully equipped with mission systems for operational use. It is sometimes designated as the MQ-58B.
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Two main Valkyrie configurations are known. RATO versions have no landing gear, take off with the help of a rocket booster, and land by parachute after the mission. CTOL variants are equipped with landing gear and can take off and land on conventional runways. Kratos has also developed a special trolley for launching RATO versions from a runway.
Comparison with other CCAs
Even the maximum stated price of $8 million for the Valkyrie is below the target average of $20 million that the U.S. Air Force cited for the first-phase drones of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program after reaching full-rate production. According to the publication, a range of $20 million to $30 million had previously been discussed for such developments, although the final price of the FQ-42A Vengeance and FQ-44A Fury aircraft has not been disclosed.
Kratos has stated a goal of reaching annual production of 40 Valkyrie airframes by 2028. The company also has at least two contracts with unnamed customers; one of them is outside the United States and received drones in the third quarter of 2025. Separately, Kratos and Airbus are competing for a contract to supply the Luftwaffe with the U740 variant, which made its first flight at an unnamed test site in Northern Europe.
