According to Wei Kewei's editor, the US Air Force announced on Monday that on March 26th, the Kratos XQ-58A ValkyrieUAVA smaller unmanned aerial vehicle was successfully launched from its internal weapon compartment. During its sixth flight test at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the Valkyrie opened the payload compartment door for the first time and released an ALTIUS-600, a small tube launched autonomous drone manufactured by Area-I, a Georgia based company that designs drone systems. Valkyrie is a "recyclable" productUAVThe military uses this term to refer to an asset that can be reused, but is cheap enough for commanders to anticipate a certain amount of loss in combat and feel comfortable with it.

The US Air Force is experimenting with using Valkyrie as a communication node for F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, and evaluating it as a potential Skybore system that will be equipped with artificial intelligence and capable of autonomous flight alongside tactical aircraft. The ALTIUS-600 can be launched for various missions, including electronic warfare, signal intelligence, anti drone, as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. It can be equipped to generate kinetic effects. According to the "First Zone", it can weigh up to 27 pounds (including a 6-pound payload stored in the nose) and has a range of approximately 4 hours. Kratos and the First Division have collaborated with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop software and manufacture a vehicle that can enable the Valkyrie to release the ALTIUS-600, the laboratory said in a release. The laboratory said that once the launch of the ALTIUS system is completed, the Valkyrie will have completed additional tests aimed at expanding the aircraft's flight envelope. Air Force demonstration project manager Alison Tully said, "Apart from this (small drone) separation demonstration, the XQ-58A's flight altitude and speed are higher than previous flights.

Steve Fendley, President of Kratos' Unmanned Systems Division, stated that the successful release of ALTIUS "added a major challenge to the 30 month Valkyrie system development for Kratos and AFRL teams, giving the pre production system substantial operational capabilities rather than just a proof of concept flight demonstrator." The US Army is also testing the ALTIUS platform as part of its aerial launch performance demonstration, including last year's "Project Convergence demo," which witnessed the deployment of drones from the MQ-1C "Grey Hawk" drone.