Kratos is developing a hypersonic drone, adding to its increasing portfolio of high-speed vehicles, CEO Eric DeMarco told Aviation Week on March 18.
DeMarco reiterated that no other information on the project could be provided at this time. This provides specifics about the general design, estimated performance capabilities, and development and deployment timelines. The project’s secrecy suggests its strategic relevance related to sophisticated aeronautical technology and national security concerns. Without additional information, conjecture regarding the drone’s speed, range, stealth capabilities, and intended operational tasks continues.
While Kratos has been credited with pioneering breakthrough unmanned aerial systems, a dearth of publicly available information raises numerous problems. Analysts and industry professionals will keenly watch any subsequent announcements for signs about the drone’s potential uses, whether in defense, surveillance, or combat operations. Until official updates emerge, the project’s exact capabilities and purpose remain unknown.
The Hypersonic System Indiana Payload Integration Facility (IPIF), which formally began construction on March 18 near Crane, Indiana, is expected to play an important role in developing the United States’ hypersonic capability. The facility is intended to facilitate the integration, assembly, and testing of next-generation hypersonic technologies, including a mystery vehicle that has yet to be publicly revealed. As the US military and defense contractors ramp up their efforts in hypersonic technology, the IPIF will serve as a critical hub for research, development, and deployment. This cutting-edge facility is supposed to improve national security by allowing for the quick prototyping and deployment of advanced hypersonic weapons and defense systems.
The IPIF is conveniently located within the Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), allowing it to cooperate with leading defense industry partners and government organizations. The facility’s advanced infrastructure will enable the seamless integration of hypersonic payloads, ensuring the United States maintains a competitive advantage in the worldwide fight for hypersonic domination. While details about the mystery vehicle are unknown, its creation at IPIF represents a significant advancement in hypersonic combat technology. The development of this facility demonstrates the Department of Defense’s commitment to expanding high-speed strike capabilities, highlighting the significance of hypersonic research in influencing the future of military defense policies.
DeMarco said that vehicles with air-breathing propulsion technology are also viable when asked if the IPIF will exclusively support payloads for hypersonic glide vehicles powered by solid rocket motors.
DeMarco previously indicated about Kratos’ interest in turbine-based hypersonic propulsion. DeMarco made a mysterious statement in a 2019 press release announcing the acquisition of Florida Turbine Technologies (now Kratos Turbine Technologies, or KTT).
“Beyond traditional turbojet and turbofan engines, we are also focused on developing advanced, affordable engines for a new class of hypersonic propulsion system,” according to DeMarco.
DeMarco has never commented on his statement. However, as the name implies, KTT focuses on air-breathing, turbine-based propulsion systems rather than the solid rocket engines that propel hypersonic glide vehicles to hypersonic speeds.
Kratos already has a hypersonic portfolio, which includes the Erinyes and Dark Fury glide vehicles. Both can be fueled by Kratos’ new Zeus rocket, a spinoff of the company’s Oriole-sounding rocket.
Hypersonic technology, particularly air-breathing propulsion, is still in the developmental stages in the US industrial base, except for the operational Lockheed Martin/Leidos Long Range Hypersonic Weapon for the US Army.
Despite the advanced nature of the technology, Kratos is committed to avoiding “bleeding-edge” capability in new products. The corporation prefers to operate on fixed-price contracts, and the risk of overruns associated with developing new technologies is too great for Kratos, with $1.1 billion in annual sales, to endure.
“Bleeding edge—something that has never been done before—those are the types of fixed-price contracts that we tend to avoid,” DeMarco said at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference outside Washington on March 18. “We don’t have the size or scale of a Boeing to absorb and complete the task for a specific amount of money. That’s just wild. “We simply cannot do it.”
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