US Debuts Ragnarök Low-Cost Mini Missile 900 km Class Reach Paired with XQ-58 Valkyrie Drone
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Kratos Defense introduced the Ragnarök Low Cost Cruise Missile in San Diego on October 13, 2025, highlighting a 500 nautical mile range, an 80 pound payload, and carriage on the XQ-58 Valkyrie both internally and on pylons. The offering targets affordable mass for U.S. and allied forces, expanding magazine depth for strike missions, and aligning with Collaborative Combat Aircraft concepts.
Kratos Defense says its new Ragnarök Low Cost Cruise Missile is ready for quantity production after a public debut around the Miramar Air Show, where the company displayed the XQ-58A Valkyrie carrying the weapon both in its internal bay and underwing. Company materials cite a unit cost around 150,000 dollars in lots of 100, a 500 nautical mile range, and an 80-pound payload, positioning Ragnarök as a precision strike option that can be procured and fired in salvos rather than conserved. Independent trade press reporting the reveal underscores the pairing with Valkyrie and the emphasis on affordability and flexible carriage.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Ragnarök is a low-cost cruise missile compatible with internal bay or underwing carriage on the XQ-58 Valkyrie, offering about 500 nautical miles of range and an approximately 80-pound payload for precision strikes. (Picture source: Kratos)
Kratos displayed the Valkyrie with Ragnarök both underwing and in the internal bay, indicating the missile is not tied to a single carriage mode. The company highlights modular carriage: internal for lower signature, external when pylon availability and turnaround speed matter, and palletized options for mass launch. Company leadership states the design has cleared initial phases and is positioned for quantity manufacturing rather than remaining at the concept stage.
Technical choices include carbon composite structures for fuselage and empennage to control weight while maintaining stiffness for cruise above Mach 0.7 up to 35,000 feet. A folding wing mechanism supports compact storage, transportation, and internal bay carriage where volume is constrained. Compatibility with 14-inch racks is intended to simplify integration across various carriage systems and reduce flight clearance timelines. Propulsion is described as optimized for strike profiles, consistent with a small turbojet or turbofan, favoring subsonic endurance over peak speed.
A 500 nautical mile radius from a survivable launch point allows stand-off strikes against radar sites, C2 nodes, fuel depots, or logistics choke points. The roughly 80-pound payload does not duplicate heavy unitary warhead cruise missiles but is suitable for effects on soft to medium hard targets and could accommodate specialized payloads such as decoys, electronic attack, or area denial if variants are pursued. Cruising at medium or high altitude can support range and communications, while internal carriage on a platform like the XQ-58 preserves the launch aircraft’s signature until release. In mixed loadouts, a Valkyrie unit could use internal rounds for initial ingress, then shift to external pylons once emitters are degraded.
At about 150,000 dollars per round in quantities of 100, Ragnarök is priced for salvo use rather than limited employment. In saturation scenarios, the ability to deliver varied raid sizes and timings can open corridors, deplete interceptors, or prompt radar emissions, creating windows for higher-end weapons. Kratos references complementary capability to Northrop Grumman’s Lumberjack, indicating a family of systems approach in which multiple affordable cruise-class weapons, tuned for different effects and launch platforms, expand magazine depth and complicate air defense planning.
Carriage flexibility is central at the operational level. Internal bay integration with ACP or CCA airframes supports early-day tasks where low signature is a priority. External pylons on the same aircraft enable quick role changes between sorties. Palettized launch concepts from airlift or ground platforms open distributed and less predictable firing axes, useful in contested theaters where fixed infrastructure is under pressure. Standardized racks, compact form factor, and composite construction point to an industrial design intended to travel, fit many hosts, and be produced at pace. If production claims hold, users gain a replenishable strike stock that can be tailored by platform and mission without extended integration cycles.
Subsonic cruise above Mach 0.7 implies survivability will depend on routing, timing, and numbers rather than speed alone. The approximately 80-pound warhead constrains target sets and fuzing; operators will require a clear catalog of warheads and guidance packages to match concepts of employment. The integration roadmap will shape scale as much as the missile itself. Clearance on XQ-58 is a start; expansion to other unmanned systems and selected manned aircraft will determine near-term breadth of use.
The wider availability of lower-cost precision munitions affects deterrence by expanding magazines without a steep budget impact. In the Indo-Pacific, where distance imposes costs on each sortie, a 500 nautical mile expendable weapon carried by CCAs could contribute to saturating A2/AD belts and threatening logistics nodes while preserving higher-end stocks. In Europe, with dense air defenses and high consumption rates, an affordable cruise-class option supports operational endurance and industrial resilience. If Ragnarök transitions from demonstration to volume production, it aligns with a broader shift toward attritable unmanned platforms paired with numerous good enough munitions, a combination that stresses air defenses and broadens allied courses of action.
Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Kratos Defense introduced the Ragnarök Low Cost Cruise Missile in San Diego on October 13, 2025, highlighting a 500 nautical mile range, an 80 pound payload, and carriage on the XQ-58 Valkyrie both internally and on pylons. The offering targets affordable mass for U.S. and allied forces, expanding magazine depth for strike missions, and aligning with Collaborative Combat Aircraft concepts.
Kratos Defense says its new Ragnarök Low Cost Cruise Missile is ready for quantity production after a public debut around the Miramar Air Show, where the company displayed the XQ-58A Valkyrie carrying the weapon both in its internal bay and underwing. Company materials cite a unit cost around 150,000 dollars in lots of 100, a 500 nautical mile range, and an 80-pound payload, positioning Ragnarök as a precision strike option that can be procured and fired in salvos rather than conserved. Independent trade press reporting the reveal underscores the pairing with Valkyrie and the emphasis on affordability and flexible carriage.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Ragnarök is a low-cost cruise missile compatible with internal bay or underwing carriage on the XQ-58 Valkyrie, offering about 500 nautical miles of range and an approximately 80-pound payload for precision strikes. (Picture source: Kratos)
Kratos displayed the Valkyrie with Ragnarök both underwing and in the internal bay, indicating the missile is not tied to a single carriage mode. The company highlights modular carriage: internal for lower signature, external when pylon availability and turnaround speed matter, and palletized options for mass launch. Company leadership states the design has cleared initial phases and is positioned for quantity manufacturing rather than remaining at the concept stage.
Technical choices include carbon composite structures for fuselage and empennage to control weight while maintaining stiffness for cruise above Mach 0.7 up to 35,000 feet. A folding wing mechanism supports compact storage, transportation, and internal bay carriage where volume is constrained. Compatibility with 14-inch racks is intended to simplify integration across various carriage systems and reduce flight clearance timelines. Propulsion is described as optimized for strike profiles, consistent with a small turbojet or turbofan, favoring subsonic endurance over peak speed.
A 500 nautical mile radius from a survivable launch point allows stand-off strikes against radar sites, C2 nodes, fuel depots, or logistics choke points. The roughly 80-pound payload does not duplicate heavy unitary warhead cruise missiles but is suitable for effects on soft to medium hard targets and could accommodate specialized payloads such as decoys, electronic attack, or area denial if variants are pursued. Cruising at medium or high altitude can support range and communications, while internal carriage on a platform like the XQ-58 preserves the launch aircraft’s signature until release. In mixed loadouts, a Valkyrie unit could use internal rounds for initial ingress, then shift to external pylons once emitters are degraded.
At about 150,000 dollars per round in quantities of 100, Ragnarök is priced for salvo use rather than limited employment. In saturation scenarios, the ability to deliver varied raid sizes and timings can open corridors, deplete interceptors, or prompt radar emissions, creating windows for higher-end weapons. Kratos references complementary capability to Northrop Grumman’s Lumberjack, indicating a family of systems approach in which multiple affordable cruise-class weapons, tuned for different effects and launch platforms, expand magazine depth and complicate air defense planning.
Carriage flexibility is central at the operational level. Internal bay integration with ACP or CCA airframes supports early-day tasks where low signature is a priority. External pylons on the same aircraft enable quick role changes between sorties. Palettized launch concepts from airlift or ground platforms open distributed and less predictable firing axes, useful in contested theaters where fixed infrastructure is under pressure. Standardized racks, compact form factor, and composite construction point to an industrial design intended to travel, fit many hosts, and be produced at pace. If production claims hold, users gain a replenishable strike stock that can be tailored by platform and mission without extended integration cycles.
Subsonic cruise above Mach 0.7 implies survivability will depend on routing, timing, and numbers rather than speed alone. The approximately 80-pound warhead constrains target sets and fuzing; operators will require a clear catalog of warheads and guidance packages to match concepts of employment. The integration roadmap will shape scale as much as the missile itself. Clearance on XQ-58 is a start; expansion to other unmanned systems and selected manned aircraft will determine near-term breadth of use.
The wider availability of lower-cost precision munitions affects deterrence by expanding magazines without a steep budget impact. In the Indo-Pacific, where distance imposes costs on each sortie, a 500 nautical mile expendable weapon carried by CCAs could contribute to saturating A2/AD belts and threatening logistics nodes while preserving higher-end stocks. In Europe, with dense air defenses and high consumption rates, an affordable cruise-class option supports operational endurance and industrial resilience. If Ragnarök transitions from demonstration to volume production, it aligns with a broader shift toward attritable unmanned platforms paired with numerous good enough munitions, a combination that stresses air defenses and broadens allied courses of action.
Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.
