America's Thunderbird combat drone

Proving that futuristic fictional concepts can become reality in today’s advanced technological world, the US has shown off its latest drone, the XQ-58A Valkyrie. Looking more like the computer-generated Thunderbird 2 aircraft of the popular 1960s TV series, the Valkyrie is seen blasting off from a tilted launcher during a test flight. Although the launch of the Valkyrie took place at Eglin air force base in Florida in December, images of the test flight have only just been released. The Valkyrie is an experimental stealthy combat aerial vehicle which could serve as an unmanned wingman to America’s F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter in future conflicts. Built by Kratos Defence and Security Solutions in San Diego, California, the XQ-58A Valkyrie has been designed to carry at least two small-diameter bombs and has a flight range of 3,450 miles. The drone doesn’t need a runway but takes off from a trailer-mounted launcher. It’s 30ft long with a wingspan of 27ft and weighs 2,500 pounds without a bomb payload. Its maximum speed is 0.72 Mach. The first flight took place in March, 2019. The Pentagon’s idea is to have manned aircraft and unmanned combat drones operating together, each data-linked to the other, with the pilot of the fighter jet controlling his drone wingman. Designed and developed under the US defence department’s Skyborg programme, the Valkyrie and other combat drones of the future would be able to fly ahead and check out targets, providing key intelligence to manned aircraft, as well as taking part in bombing missions. The Valkyrie’s similarity to the Thunderbird 2 is just another example of how today’s technology is catching up with futuristic fictional designs created decades ago. Thunderbird 2, piloted by Virgil Tracy in the TV puppet series, was a large, green aircraft used for rescue missions. Thunderbird 2 could also operate underwater. But Valkyrie will be developed strictly for airborne operations. The jet-powered Valkyrie drone with combat and reconnaissance roles can be built for about $2 million, a fraction of the cost of the manned fighter jets. An F-35 is closer to $80 million. The combination of manned and unmanned aircraft flying in tandem is likely to transform the air battlefield. The low cost of the Valkyrie would enable the Pentagon to launch swarm attacks to overwhelm enemy defences. The Valkyrie was originally developed for the US Air Force but the US Navy is buying two of the combat drones as part of its manned and unmanned fighter programme. Both China and Russia are known to be developing the same concept.