Kratos has released a rendering of its new Thanatos drone, showcasing its advanced design. The company anticipates securing a contract related to this stealth drone by next year. Although the exact customer remains undisclosed, the presence of a U.S. Air Force logo in the rendering suggests that it may be linked to the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program or other advanced drone projects.
The release of the Thanatos rendering coincided with Kratos’ financial results announcement for Q3 2023. The company referred to Thanatos as one of several “new program opportunities” that would require additional investment in 2024, potentially leading to substantial growth in 2025.
Kratos already boasts a diverse drone portfolio, including the XQ-58A Valkyrie, known for its stealth capabilities. Eric DeMarco, the President and CEO of Kratos, shared that they are currently in discussions with a customer and hope to secure a contract next year for various Kratos tactical drone systems, including Thanatos.
The new rendering displays a tailless unmanned aircraft with several stealthy features, such as a shovel nose design, deep chine line, blended and recessed inlets, and a platypus-like trailing edge extension concealing a recessed exhaust. The unique tail design significantly reduces the aircraft’s infrared signature and enhances its radar stealth capabilities. Additionally, Thanatos features diamond-shaped wings, reducing drag at high speeds.
Thanatos represents Kratos’ most advanced drone concept to date. The company initially focused on developing target drones for test, training, research, and development purposes.
The rendering showcases both the Kratos and U.S. Air Force logos, indicating a potential collaboration between the two entities. Although limited by low resolution, the logos are visible. Kratos has previously included this logo combination in renderings of other drones presented to the Air Force, indicating a high likelihood of the Air Force being the potential customer for Thanatos.
The specific programs for which Thanatos was developed remain unknown. However, the Air Force is actively pursuing a future fleet of advanced drones with significant autonomy, designed to closely cooperate with crewed combat jets as part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. These drones are intended to serve as weapon trucks, sensing nodes, and electronic warfare platforms. They may eventually expand their mission capabilities and work with other crewed aircraft, including B-21 Raider stealth bombers.
Kratos’ previous comments and the stealthy design of Thanatos suggest that the drone aligns with an opportunity in the near future that could yield financial success. The competition for contracts under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is expected to be fierce, with numerous companies preparing proposals.
While Thanatos may be a potential contender for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, it could also be even more advanced and costlier than other designs proposed for the program. It may be a traditional unmanned combat air vehicle with larger payloads, designed for independent operations. Additionally, the U.S. Air Force has a need for a stealthy aggressor drone for training purposes. However, it seems less likely in this case, although frontline unmanned systems can also serve in training roles. The public is only aware of a fraction of the advanced drone developments, as most of them remain heavily classified.
Recently, the U.S. Marine Corps began flying Kratos XQ-58A drones to refine its future advanced drone plans.
Now that the design of Thanatos has been unveiled, more details about the drone and Kratos’ vision for it may emerge.
