Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has announced an internally funded effort to design a hypersonic drone capable of exceeding Mach 5, positioning it as a groundbreaking innovation without skyrocketing costs.

Affordable Hypersonics

Kratos is planning a new low-cost hypersonic drone. Representative image. Kratos
Kratos is planning a new low-cost hypersonic drone. Representative image; Photo: Kratos

The project was first confirmed by Eric DeMarco, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, during an interview with Aviation Week. Though much of the detail regarding the drone’s progress, purpose, and propulsion method remains a mystery, the firm has stated that the model will be “orders of magnitude less expensive” than comparable concepts on the market.

The unmanned aircraft will join the “Kratos Furies Family of Hypersonic Systems” alongside existing hypersonic developments, such as the Erinyes and Dark Fury.

“Similar to Kratos Erinyes and Dark Fury Hypersonic Flyers, this new Kratos-funded Hypersonic Drone initiative, included in Kratos Furies Family of Hypersonic Systems, is expected to be orders of magnitude less costly than any other hypersonic system or concept in existence today,” a Kratos spokesperson told TWZ (The War Zone), underscoring the company’s emphasis on affordability.

Solid-Fuel to Air-Breathers

Though Erinyes and Dark Fury use rocket boosters to reach hypersonic speeds, the company has also been investing in solid-fuel rocket motors, aligning with the U.S. military’s Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) program and the needs of the U.S. Navy, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and NASA.

Kratos has also been exploring air-breathing propulsion, potentially partnering with Australian firm Hypersonix Launch Systems. Though the firm’s DART AE model would require a rocket booster for initial acceleration, the concept also involves a hydrogen-fueled scramjet engine.

Hypersonic platforms have been gaining momentum in the U.S. Department of Defense. DARPA’s Next Generation Responsive Strike and programs like Mayhem aim to produce reusable high-speed systems for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions within the next five years. In 2022, Kratos was named part of the Leidos-led team behind Mayhem, which is slated to deliver an air-breathing hypersonic platform.

Whether used as an unmanned strike craft, test bed, or reconnaissance vehicle, the new hypersonic drone is a reusable, high-speed craft that can undertake complex missions without incurring the high costs typically associated with advanced hypersonic systems.