The Kratos UAS solution is designed to accommodate significant offensive weapons volume. Credit: US Navy / Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Michael Schutt / Flickr.

Kratos Unmanned Systems Division (KUSD) has won a contract to design and develop an off board sensing station (OBSS) uncrewed aerial system (UAS).

The US Air Force (USAF) awarded the contract in support of Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP) technology maturation portfolio.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The 12-month cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at $17.6m.

Kratos noted that work will be performed at the company’s US engineering and technology facilities in Texas, California, and Oklahoma for the next year.

According to the company, the OBSS programme includes optional subsequent manufacture and demonstration for a period of 15 months.

Including the base and option awards, the total contract value awarded to Kratos stands at $49m.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The Kratos’ OBSS UAS will be designed as a lower-cost and highly modular conventional take-off and landing jet-powered vehicle.

Furthermore, the solution will serve as a weapons bay extension for manned aircraft by housing a considerable volume of offensive weapons.

OBSS is part of the company’s low-cost autonomous collaborative platforms (ACP) fleet.

The ACP family is designed to employ weapons, sensors, and other effects that generate affordable, force multiplier combat power with a forward force posture.

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions president and CEO Eric DeMarco said: “Kratos is committed to disrupting the government contractor national security market by providing rapid, agile, affordable, and relevant systems to our defence customers.

“The recent selection of Kratos to develop next-generation OBSS aircraft for our partner, the US Air Force, re-affirms our approach to treat affordability as a technology.

“Kratos Ghost Works, which played a significant role in the design of our OBSS system, has once again demonstrated that our real, proven, digital engineering process, methodology, assets, and infrastructure are optimized for affordable system development.”