NCIST mulls Kratos drone collaborationPLAN: The cooperation might involve combining the Indigenous Defense Fighter engine, a domestic AESA and Kratos’ XQ-58A stealth drone, a defense official saidBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan’s state-run defense research group is mulling developing autonomous “loyal wingman” drones to support fighter jets in a potential collaboration with a US-based manufacturer, a source said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a defense official said the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST) has reached out to Kratos Defense in a bid to collaborate in building combat aircraft utilizing technologies featured in the latter’s XQ-58A Valkyrie. The NCIST is optimistic that the project would go forward, as Kratos has shared valuable technologies, the official said. National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology engineers and a Kratos Defense representative pose for a picture in front of a Mighty Hornet IV loitering munition, front, and a Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie in an undated photograph. The XQ-58A is a multi-role platform capable of carrying “kinetic and non-kinetic effectors” in its internal bomb bay and wing stations, Kratos Defense said.

Source: Taipei Times March 07, 2026 17:17 UTC