Kratos Firejet MQM-178 aircraft on its Pneumatic Launcher. Credit: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc.

The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) has awarded a contract to national security solutions provider Kratos Defense & Security Solutions for its MQM-178 Firejet aerial target drone system.

Under the agreement, the company will be responsible for providing the FMV with the MQM-178 aircraft, in addition to related ground support equipment, spares, payloads, components, expendables and support services.

The sole-source, single-award indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract will continue for a period of three years, with two additional three-year exercisable option periods, taking the total potential performance period of the contract to nine years.

Kratos unmanned systems division president Steve Fendley said: “This partnership enables the FMV to increase their service provision to the global defence customer community, and it increases the availability of Kratos high-performance aerial target drones even to customers whose mission rate would not support their in-country provision of an aerial target system, the epitome of a win-win-win.

“The low-cost MQM-178 Firejet provides customers with an opportunity to test a number of weapon systems with a single affordable high-performance unmanned aerial target system.”

“This new contract marks yet another milestone in Kratos’ already impressive penetration into international markets and helps secure our systems’ position as a long-term target drone solution for the international community.”

The first order for the MQM-178 Firejet aircraft is expected in the next two months.

Work under the project is slated to be conducted at secure manufacturing facilities and customer locations of the company.

The low-cost MQM-178 Firejet provides customers with an opportunity to test a number of weapon systems with a single affordable high-performance unmanned aerial target system.

The autonomous aircraft has been designed to support both air-to-air and surface-to-air operations, with a combination of internal and external mission payloads.

In September, Kratos successfully completed in-depth training for operations, maintenance, and flight / piloting for a major international customer using the company’s Firejet unmanned aircraft and multiple mission sets.