Туршилтын нислэг үйлдэнэ үү гэмтэл гарсан уг нисгэгчгүй төхөөрөмжтэй холбоотой шалгалтын ажил үргэлжилж байна.
АНУ-ын Армийн Юта муж дахь Дагвайн туршилтын талбайд Kratos компанид харьяалагдах “туршилтын тохиргоотой” XQ-58 Valkyrie загварын нисгэгчгүй онгоц осолджээ. Тус компанийн мэдээлснээр, наймдугаар сарын 4-ний мягмар гарагт туршилтын зурвасаас хөөрсний дараа уг осол гарсан бөгөөд ямар нэгэн бэртэл гэмтэл гараагүй байна. Ослын шалтгааныг тодруулах хугацаанд уг системийн нислэг туршилтын үйл ажиллагааг түр хугацаагаар зогсоожээ.
Дагвайн туршилтын талбайн төлөөлөгч тухайн үед тодорхой бус нисгэгчгүй онгоц хөөрснийхөө дараа осолдсоныг баталсан боловч тухайн төхөөрөмж Valkyrie мөн эсэх талаар мэдээлэл өгөхөөс татгалзсан байна. Уг нисэх зурвасаас хөөрсөн гэх мэдээлэл нь уламжлалт зурвасаас хөөрөх чадвартай Kratos компанийн хөгжүүлж буй хувилбаруудын нэг болохыг харуулж байна. Michael Army Airfield нисэх буудал нь цэрэг болон хувийн хэвшлийн нисгэгчгүй онгоц турших гол төв юм.
XQ-58 Valkyrie загварын нисгэгчгүй онгоцууд 2009 оноос хойш нисэж эхэлсэн бөгөөд анх пуужингийн тусламжтай хөөрч шүхрээр газардах зориулалттайгаар бүтээгдэж байв. Хожим нь компани уламжлалт нисэх зурвасаас хөөрөх зориулалттай тусгай хэрэгсэл хөгжүүлсэн бөгөөд сүүлийн жилүүдэд буух төхөөрөмж бүхий Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) хувилбарыг гаргахаар ажиллаж байна. Энэхүү хувилбарыг АНУ-ын Тэнгисийн явган цэргийн хүчний Collaborative Combat Aircraft хөтөлбөрийн хүрээнд хөгжүүлж байгаа юм.
Kratos компани Valkyrie загварын нисгэгчгүй онгоцыг олон улсын зах зээлд гаргахаар анхаарч байгаа бөгөөд Германы зэвсэгт хүчинд зориулсан хувилбарыг Airbus компанитай хамтран хөгжүүлж байна. Дагвайн туршилтын талбайд гарсан осол нь Valkyrie цуврал нисгэгчгүй онгоцны цаашид хийгдэх ажлуудад хэрхэн нөлөөлөх нь одоогоор тодорхойгүй байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Details are still limited, but a Kratos Valkyrie drone in a “test configuration” has crashed at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.
“A Kratos test configuration of Valkyrie experienced a mishap following takeoff from a test-range runway on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. This was a Kratos internally funded R&D event, part of continually adding configurations and capabilities,” according to a statement Kratos provided to TWZ. “No one was injured in the incident. As safety is our top priority, flight test operations for this system have been paused temporarily in an abundance of caution while we investigate the cause of the incident.Kratos has additional test systems ready once the investigation is complete.”
In response to our follow-up questions, Kratos declined to provide more information about the configuration of the drone. The statement’s mention of “takeoff from a test-range runway” would point to one of two versions of the Valkyrie the company has been developing capable of getting airborne from traditional runways, which we will come back to in a moment.
An installation spokesperson at Dugway separately confirmed to TWZ that an unspecified drone had crashed yesterday at around 8:00 AM local time. The uncrewed aircraft, which was not owned or operated by the U.S. military, went down shortly after takeoff for reasons that are still unknown. There were no casualties or damage to buildings as a result. When asked specifically, base officials had declined to say whether or not the drone was a Valkyrie.
Dugway’s Michael Army Airfield is a major hub for uncrewed aircraft testing, both by the U.S. military and private companies. Dugway also supports a wide range of other research and development and test and evaluation activities, with a heavy focus on defense against chemical and biological warfare threats.
Versions of the Valkyrie have been flying since 2019, with the U.S. Air Force being the first known operator of the type. The drone, also known as the XQ-58, was originally designed for rocket-assisted takeoffs via static launchers, and then recovery via parachute. Kratos subsequently developed a special launch trolley enabling takeoffs from traditional runways. In August 2024, the company announced plans for a new variant with built-in landing gear, also known as the Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) type, and said they hoped to see a first flight “soon.” The CTOL drones will still be capable of being launched via rocket.
Back in January, Kratos told TWZ that the target timeframe for a first flight of the CTOL Valkyrie had moved to early 2026. At that time, the company also confirmed that this version of Valkyrie, sometimes referred to as the MQ-58B, was being developed in part for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines are acquiring these drones under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The service is hoping to take delivery of its first MQ-58s in 2029. The service has already been laying the groundwork for its future CCA fleets in with XQ-58 variants of the Valkyrie.
Kratos has seen growing interest in the Valkyrie family globally in recent years. This includes a partnership with Airbus on a version of the stealthy XQ-58 Valkyrie drone for the German Luftwaffe.
More remains to be learned about the crash at Dugway and how it might affect ongoing work on the Valkyrie family.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
The post XQ-58 Valkyrie Drone Crashes At Dugway Proving Ground In Utah appeared first on TWZ.
