Kratos to Produce 35 Subsonic Aerial Targets for US Navy

The U.S. Navy has contracted Kratos to produce 35 BQM-177A subsonic aerial targets.

This contract provides for the production and delivery of 35 full rate production Lot I BQM-177A subsonic aerial targets, including associated technical and administrative data in support of Aerial Targets Program Office, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement Wednesday.

Work is expected to be completed by February 2022.

The BQM-177A is capable of speeds in excess of 0.95 Mach and a sea-skimming altitude as low as 6.6 feet. This aerial target supports a variety of mission requirements by carrying a wide array of internal and external payloads, including proximity scoring, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), passive and active RF augmentation, electronic counter-measures, infrared (IR) augmentation (plume pods), chaff and flare dispensers, and towed targets.