SAN DIEGO – Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), a leading National Security Solutions provider announced today that its Air Wolf Tactical Drone System completed a 100 percent successful flight at the recently approved Burns Flat, Oklahoma Range Facility. The Kratos Air Wolf Mission, which was the inaugural flight at the Burns Flat Range location, included multiple new payloads carried by the Air Wolf Drone, including a proprietary Kratos artificial intelligence/autonomy system, which has been developed by Kratos specifically for high performance, jet drone aircraft.
Air Wolf is one of several drones in Kratos’ family of affordable, high-performance jet drones that are flying today, also including the attritable UTAP-22 Mako, XQ-58A Valkyrie, and the reusable X-61A Gremlins drone with the Gremlins Program Prime being with Kratos’ strategic partner Dynetics. The newly approved Burns Flat Test Range and Facility is an important new strategic asset available to Kratos, enabling Kratos to accelerate its drone testing and demonstration, further increasing Kratos’ ability to rapidly develop and demonstrate jet drones, supporting subsystems, and other tactical systems and aircraft. For competitive, security and other considerations, no additional information will be provided regarding the successful Air Wolf flight and mission.
Steve Fendley, President of Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said, “This successful Air Wolf flight at the recently approved Burns Flat Range facility is the latest example of the teaming approach Kratos routinely takes with its partners at the local, state and federal government levels with the objective of accelerating technology development and a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math advancement. The Air Wolf drone system that successfully flew today demonstrated a number of new mission systems which we believe are operationally and tactically relevant for Kratos’ government customer set, as our proven commercial development approach and robust digital engineering, modeling and simulation capabilities, and affordability-focused processes continue to successfully rapidly deliver affordable high performance jet aircraft, not just models, surrogates, or renditions.”
Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos, said, “Kratos thanks Senator Inhofe, the Federal Aviation Administration and all other government stakeholders in bringing the Burns Flat Range and Test facility to a reality, and we believe that Burns Flat will be an incredibly valuable asset to the State of Oklahoma and for companies like Kratos. Kratos’ Ghost Works played an incredibly important role in today’s successful Air Wolf flight, and with our Valkyrie, Mako, Gremlin and Air Wolf drones, we believe that we are ready now, today, to meet our customers’ requirements with a family of affordable, high performance jet drones in the disposable, reusable and attritable classes.”
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) develops and fields transformative, affordable technology, platforms and systems for United States National Security related customers, allies and commercial enterprises. Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology for these industries are rapidly brought to market through proven commercial and venture capital backed approaches, including proactive research and streamlined development processes. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we specialize in unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, hypersonic systems, training, combat systems and next generation turbo jet and turbo fan engine development. For more information, please visit www.KratosDefense.com.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 27, 2020, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.
