The US Army has allocated nearly $100 million to purchase target drones from Kratos

The US Army has ordered a new batch of Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems drones. The drones are used as targets.

Here's What We Know

There is no information yet on what kind of unmanned targets the US Army has ordered. The service has signed a $95 million contract with Kratos, which manufactures the BQM-167A and BQM-177A target drones. The contract must be completed by 6 July 2028.

The BQM-167A is powered by a turbojet engine that provides a maximum speed of 1,135 km/h (M = 0.92) at an altitude of 15.24 kilometres. The drone can fly for three hours and cover 2,600 kilometres.

The BQM-177A is a newer unmanned target drone. It is capable of simulating anti-ship missiles and can reach speeds close to the speed of sound (M=0.96 / 1185 km/h).

Source: Pentagon