Kratos's Tactical Firejet turns an aerial target into an attack drone to strike objectives 926 km away.

On October 12, 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions showcased its Tactical Firejet unmanned aerial system at the AUSA 2026 exposition. Developed as a combat-oriented derivative of the MQM-178 aerial target, the platform expands Kratos' low-cost jet UAS portfolio into operational reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy, and strike roles. The transition leverages existing MQM-178 pneumatic launching infrastructure and manufacturing scale to offer force-multiplying expendable capability at a target price below $500,000 and at ranges of up to 926 km.

The Kratos Tactical Firejet is a runway-independent jet-powered attack drone designed for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy operations and strikes, with a high-subsonic flight envelope, up to 32 kg of internal payload, and a range of up to 926 km. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

On October 12, 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions showcased its Tactical Firejet at AUSA 2026, a combat-oriented derivative of the MQM-178 aerial target designed to conduct reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy missions, and strikes against defended targets while retaining the MQM-178's ability to simulate airborne threats during military exercises. Developed from a program introduced in 2011 and first sold to the U.S. Army in 2013, the MQM-178 Firejet target drone has been used by British forces during Formidable Shield exercises and acquired through procurement arrangements involving Sweden. Measuring 3.3 m long and weighing 145 kg at maximum launch, it reaches Mach 0.69, operates between 6.1 m above ground level and 10,668 m above sea level, and has a maximum range of 463 km with 80 minutes of endurance.

Its pneumatic launcher allows deployment from land or ships without rocket-assisted takeoff equipment, parachute recovery permits reuse, and one control system can manage eight Firejets simultaneously. Since July 2024, the Firejet has also been used for autonomous flight experiments using Shield AI's Hivemind software. Kratos developed the Tactical Firejet, a combat-oriented derivative of the MQM-178, for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy missions, payload delivery, and one-way attacks against defended targets. The latest configuration measures 3.2 m long with a 2 m wingspan, weighs 74 kg empty, and has a maximum launch weight of 166 kg, compared with 145 kg for the original MQM-178.

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The Tactical Firejet's 890 N engine provides approximately 24% more thrust than the MQM-178, while maximum speed increases to Mach 0.8, range doubles from 463 to 926 km, and endurance rises from 80 to 105 minutes. Payload capacity reaches 32 kg internally, with two 9 kg wingtip stations and two 16 kg wing stations, although maximum fuel and external loads remain constrained by takeoff weight. The Tactical Firejet also retains the same operating altitude envelope, maneuvering limits, and pneumatic launcher. Surviving aircraft can be recovered by parachute, refueled, and prepared for another launch within approximately one hour. Unlike the MQM-178's primary role as an aerial target, the Tactical Firejet can carry mission equipment into contested airspace or serve as an expendable weapon, potentially forcing defenders to expend interceptors against comparatively small jet-powered aircraft.

The MQM-178 Firejet, for its part, is a twin-engine aerial target used to test surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air weapons, and anti-aircraft guns against subsonic threats, whose military employment began before production deliveries in 2019. QinetiQ operated pre-production MQM-178As during Formidable Shield 2017 at Scotland's Hebrides Range, supporting integrated air and missile defense exercises organized by the U.S. Sixth Fleet. This was followed by a ten-year British procurement agreement in July 2018 covering aircraft, spare parts, launch equipment, and training. Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration later signed a three-year contract in November 2018 with a six-year extension option. Kratos introduced the first production Firejet in Oklahoma City in April 2019, and a Royal Navy Sea Viper GWS 45 missile destroyed one during Formidable Shield the following month.

The MQM-178 subsequently provided the basis for the Firejet Tactical and Taiwan's Mighty Hornet IV attack drone, whose mission payload underwent integration testing in February 2026. For its part, the Firejet Mk1, introduced in April 2026, replaces the original Firejet's JetCat propulsion arrangement with Kratos' J85 engine. The MQM-178's carbon-fiber composite airframe combines a shoulder-mounted delta wing, a V-tail, a wingspan of 1.98 m, a fuselage of 3.28 m, and a height of 0.61 m. Two JetCat C81 turbojets produce 360 N of thrust each, providing 720 N combined and a calculated thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.506 at maximum launch weight. Its 59 kg dry weight leaves 86 kg for fuel and installed equipment, while the 64 to 72 L fuel capacity represents 51.2 to 57.6 kg at a density of 0.8 kg/L. With maximum fuel aboard, the remaining dry-to-launch mass allowance consequently falls to 28.4 kg before accounting for other equipment.

This restricts simultaneous use of maximum fuel and payload capacities, despite the aircraft's four external stations having a combined nominal rating of 49.9 kg. The separate Tactical Firejet increases maximum launch weight to 166 kg and uses an 890 N engine. The Firejet reaches a maximum speed of Mach 0.69, equivalent to 852 km/h at standard sea-level temperature or 733 km/h at its 10,668 m ceiling. Its -2g to +9g maneuvering envelope permits high-load turns, but the maximum sustainable turn rate depends on airspeed, aerodynamic loading, available thrust, and energy loss. For instance, at 200 m/s, a theoretical coordinated 9g level turn would require a 459 m radius and produce a 25-degree-per-second turn rate, excluding aerodynamic and propulsion limitations. The drone's 463 km maximum range and 80-minute endurance correspond to a calculated average speed of 348 km/h if both limits were achieved together.

With 64 to 72 L of fuel, consuming the entire supply over 80 minutes would also correspond to 48 to 54 L/h. The MQM-178 can therefore simulate selected low-altitude subsonic cruise missiles and maneuvering aircraft, but cannot reproduce the speed of supersonic fighters or establish representative terminal flight profiles for missiles exceeding Mach 1. The MQM-178's interchangeable mission equipment determines whether it represents an aircraft, a cruise missile, or measures the results of weapons engagements. Its 2026 configuration carries 18 kg internally, compared with 32 kg in an earlier configuration, while two wingtip stations support 9.1 kg each and two wing stations 15.9 kg each. Passive and active radio-frequency augmentation can increase the apparent radar return of the relatively small airframe, while hot-nose infrared equipment and fixed flares provide thermal signatures for missile-seeker tracking and discrimination tests.

Proximity-scoring sensors measure missile miss distances, and towed targets allow soldiers to engage a separate object behind the drone. These configurations support different radar and infrared engagements, although their ability to reproduce a specific fighter or cruise missile depends on radar cross-section, infrared emission, and flight characteristics that have not been quantified. The Firejet's pneumatic launcher permits operations from land-based ranges and suitable ships, removing the need for runways and rocket-assisted takeoff motors. Once airborne, the MQM-178 can follow pre-programmed routes or receive manual commands, while a single ground-control system manages up to eight Firejets, permitting exercises with multiple radar tracks, different approach bearings, and successive interceptor engagements. Surviving drones can be recovered by parachute, although recovery success rates and turnaround times for the MQM-178 are unavailable.

In July 2024, Shield AI demonstrated an autonomous coordination between two Firejets flying above 483 km/h near Burns Flat, Oklahoma, using onboard EC Micro computers, encrypted mesh radios, and Hivemind software. Integration required 120 days to reach flight readiness and 170 days to achieve the first flight. During the trials, the Fireflies autonomously joined formation, executed coordinated turns, and corrected relative positioning while two crewed aircraft provided safety oversight. The MQM-178 Firejet also occupies the lower-speed segment of Kratos' jet-powered target family, below the BQM-167 used by the U.S. Air Force and the BQM-177 operated by the U.S. Navy. The BQM-167 reaches Mach 0.91 and 15,240 m, with 292.5 kg of internal payload capacity, compared with Mach 0.69, 10,668 m, and 18 kg for the 2026 Firejet.

The BQM-177 exceeds Mach 0.95, reaches 13,716 m, and flies as low as 2 m, making it more suitable for high-subsonic sea-skimming missile simulations. The separate Tactical Firejet offers Mach 0.8, 926 km range, and 105-minute endurance, while the J85-powered Mk1 completed initial flight trials with U.S. Army involvement in April 2026 and is intended to increase flight performance at a price below $500,000. These differences matter for the U.S. Air Force's August 2026 requirement for target drones: the MQM-178 meets individual speed and maneuverability thresholds for Group 3-4 drone targets at Mach 0.5 to 0.8 with maneuvering loads of 3 to 6g, but the same requirement includes fighter targets capable of Mach 1.6 or greater at 12,192 m and Group 5 drone targets operating at 15,240 m, exceeding the MQM-178's capabilities. Kratos had already completed its 100th MQM-178 at Oklahoma City by April 2023, confirming production beyond prototype quantities, although current output and cost per engagement remain unspecified.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.