CategoryDrones
Appears inMilitary & defense drones
Overview
Public defense company (NASDAQ: KTOS) building unmanned combat aerial vehicles, aerial targets, and hypersonic systems. Key products include the XQ-58 Valkyrie loyal wingman UCAV selected by the US Marine Corps as its first operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and the Mako UTAP-22 tactical unmanned aircraft. Revenue of USD 1.35B in FY2025 with USD 560.6M cash on hand.
Reality check
UTAP-22 Mako (company-claimed)
Runway-independent uncrewed tactical aircraft using rocket-assisted launch and parachute recovery, for loyal-wingman and contested missions.
Mako operations (company-claimed)
Supports single-ship, multi-ship and manned-unmanned teaming through an open mission-system architecture with internal payload volume.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 3 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Backlog
Data & sources
Web sources
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (2)
View all models →Current platform
XQ-58 Valkyrie
Stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed for the US Air Force LCASD program. Selected by US Marine Corps as its first operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft in January 2026. Kratos can produce 250-500 Valkyries per year.
Current platform
Mako UTAP-22 Unmanned Tactical Aircraft
Affordable, fighter-like unmanned aerial system capable of collaborative operations with manned assets in contested environments. Open mission-system architecture with high maneuverability.
Partnerships
Every company Kratos Defense has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Kratos Defense on the deployment map
View the global map3 verified deployments across 2 regions, newest verified Oct 2023. Explore where Kratos Defense's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full Kratos Defense deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Eric DeMarco President & CEOsecondary-verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for Kratos Defense.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Kratos Defense3 deployments
Recent coverage
Kratos Defense in third-party press
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- DJI9 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- Skydio6 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
Mentioned on (2)
Registry pages whose text names Kratos Defense.
Companies (1)
People (1)
Partnerships
4 total · 4 operating
Every company Kratos Defense has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
All 4 partnerships
open in the atlas →- Kratos Defense x Rafael Advanced Defense SystemswithRafael Advanced Defense Systemsjoint venture—operating
- kratos x nvidiawithNVIDIA132technology—operating
- Kratos Defense x Korea Aerospace IndustrieswithKorea Aerospace Industriesdevelopment—operating
- kratos x awswithAWS30technology—operating
Timeline
Every recorded move in Kratos Defense’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Started supplyingBecame supplier to Elroy Air
2026-08-23Supply: Exclusive US manufacturer for Chaparral drone to Elroy Air
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 8, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedOct 1, 2023
XQ-58 Valkyrie at Eglin AFB, Florida
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedApr 29, 2021
Mako UTAP-22 Unmanned Tactical Aircraft at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, USA
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2019
XQ-58 Valkyrie at United States
Sources (2)
Common questions
What is Kratos Defense?
What does Kratos Defense make?
Is Kratos Defense publicly traded?
Who competes with Kratos Defense?
Who is the CEO of Kratos Defense?
How can I invest in Kratos Defense?
Where is Kratos Defense headquartered?
Who owns Kratos Defense?
Where does Kratos Defense operate robots?
How many robots has Kratos Defense deployed?
Is Kratos Defense a top robotics company?
When was Kratos Defense founded?
Is Kratos Defense safe?
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-13
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-10-13
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Kratos Defense.Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- DJI9 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- Skydio6 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Kratos Defense from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Kratos acquires AMCM M 8K 3D printer for hypersonics manufacturing
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a U.S.-based defense and tech company, is expanding the production capability of its Indiana Payload Integration Facility (IPIF) with the…
5 Beaten-Down Growth Stocks Trading Like Value Plays as Cash Chases Mega-Caps
Teradyne, Grail, Kratos Defense, FormFactor and Fabrinet have pulled back despite strong growth, setting up potential entry points in robotics, quantum and AI.
Valkyrie combat drone makes first European flight with 3,100-mile range and Mach 0.8
Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have flown the U740 Valkyrie uncrewed combat aircraft...
Airbus U740 Valkyrie uncrewed combat aircraft takes off for its maiden flight in Europe
Ottobrunn / Taufkirchen, Germany, 12 October 2026 – Airbus, in partnership with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), … mehr... The post Airbus U740 Valkyrie…
Kratos Defense Demonstrates Multi-Vendor 5G Satellite Connectivity Using Virtualized OpenSpace Ground Platform
On October 8, 2026, defense technology contractor Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced the successful demonstration of end-to-end connectivity across a native,…
Kratos Reports More Than $100M in Contracts for Space Intelligence Data
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has received multiple contracts worth more than $100 million combined for space and cyber capabilities to provide space intelligence data.…
Full Throttle: Kratos and GE Fire Up a Next-Gen Defense Engine
Kratos Defense and GE Aerospace ignited their jointly developed GEK800 turbofan engine on Sept. 21, 2026, a milestone for scalable, low-cost drone and cruise missile propulsion.
Kratos Defense: Betting On Affordable Warfare, Not Just Drones
Kratos to build military hardware that will directly support US warfighters
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has secured an approximately $35 million production award to manufacture...
Kratos Reports Growing Tri-Band Antenna Demand and Debuts New Model
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has received multi-million-dollar orders from multiple international customers for GAIA antenna systems by Orbit Communication Systems, now a…
GE Aerospace, Kratos win JASSM engine development deal
The U.S. Air Force has designated a new turbofan engine built by GE Aerospace and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions as the F143-ZZ-100 and awarded the companies a contract to…
Kratos target vehicles support U.S.-Japan SPY-7 missile defense testing for Japan’s Aegis System Equipped Vessel program
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions supplied target vehicles for a U.S.-Japan flight-test campaign that validated key tracking functions of the SPY-7 radar for Japan’s Aegis…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/kratos.md
- RSS feed: /companies/kratos/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/e00c5e51-c430-4f07-b21f-222bbb90a771
- Revision history: /companies/kratos/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- DJI9 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- Skydio6 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
Video
KRATOS – ADVANCED UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE TESTING AND RESEARCH MISSIONS Kratos Defense develops high performance unmanned aerial systems designed for robust flight testing, airborne research and nex
KRATOS – HIGH PERFORMANCE UNMANNED AERIAL PLATFORMS FOR ADVANCED AUTONOMY AND FLIGHT TESTING Kratos Defense is advancing unmanned aviation with high performanc
Kratos Defense could be building the Pentagon’s secret weapon: a ghost fleet of affordable autonomous aircraft designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. I exam
KTOS is the higher end bet in Shay's drone thematic. Most drone names chase cheap, expendable systems. Kratos builds the premium aircraft layer: tactical jet dr
Immersive technologies including virtual, augmented and mixed reality, collectively referred to as X Reality (XR), facilitate the deployment of more realistic t
Kratos-developed blended training environments combine virtual and physical components with course development products to create courseware that maximize train
The RVCTS-Air (RVCTS-A) configuration product is designed to achieve collective training capability by reconfiguring into the required rotary wing platforms. D
UAV : Kratos Brand : Empyrean Make : ERT (Empyrean Robotic Technologies) Model : Quadcopter Grade : Professional Features : (Made in India) 1) Highly stable
Kratos and GE Aerospace Win USAF Contract for GEK1500 Drone Engine Kratos and GE Aerospace won a $12.4M USAF contract to design the GEK1500 turbofan engine for
Discover Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a leading American technology company specializing in weapons and military electronics. This video provides an in-
GE Aerospace and Kratos Develop Next-Gen Turbofan Engines for Defense 🇺🇸🇮🇳🇯🇵 GE Aerospace & Kratos unveil GEK800/1500 turbofans: 40% cost reduction via 3D
The Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie is a planned stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle. The Valkyrie successfully completed its first flight on 5 March 2019.
500 autonomous combat drones. AI-controlled swarm. XQ-58 Valkyrie. Kratos units. Decentralized coordination. Self-healing network. Chinese integrated air defens
Heat Index
Serious58/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Kratos Defense draws attention at the 85th percentile but verifies reality at the 51st percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap +33.7, 22nd widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 3 verified deployments. Meaningful press and media coverage across the period. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Nov 6, 2026