US’s Kratos Reveals New Stealth Drone With Catamaran-Shaped Design And Multi-Mission Payloads
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On August 18, 2025, Kratos revealed a new rendering of the Clone Ranger unmanned system, featuring a compact, modular airframe designed for efficient production and operation from relatively short runways. The system is envisioned to deliver long-range strike and surveillance capabilities, expanding Kratos’ portfolio of affordable unmanned platforms. Kratos confirmed the name and offered additional configuration notes, while stressing that the effort remains at “conceptual design maturity.” The rendering appeared on Kratos’ website without a caption, but the company later provided context to TWZ in an on-the-record exchange.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
With its stealth shaping, dual payload capacity, and multi-mission profile, Clone Ranger of Kratos signals an approach to future air combat where survivability, modularity, and autonomy converge (Picture source: Kratos)
The artwork of the Clone Ranger unmanned system on the website of Kratos Defense, shows a low-observable platform with a broad central body and diamond-influenced wings. Forward extensions on either side of the nose frame an intake placed between two horn-like structures, yielding a twin-prong silhouette unlike Kratos’ other publicly seen designs. The image does not reveal a landing gear arrangement, but Kratos points to short-field operations, implying a conventional gear solution despite its absence in the rendering. The company has not disclosed engine count or type.
Kratos depicts twin internal bays sized for mixed effects and endurance in contested airspace, plus multi-role sensor stations forward. In the rendering, the aircraft ejects a GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb and an ADM-160 MALD from the left bay while an AIM-120 AMRAAM departs the right; a single AIM-9X appears on an under-wing pylon. A faceted fairing beneath the left forward projection is shown “painting” a Scud-type launcher, consistent with a multi-purpose electro-optical targeting installation. A Chinese J-20 stealth fighter is also presented in the rendering as a notional aerial adversary, underlining the drone’s intended counter-air role. According to Kratos, Clone Rangers could be configured for counter-air operations, strike missions, reconnaissance, and surveillance. The company also emphasized a disruptive “buddy refueling” capability, with a two-part probe-and-drogue system designed to be carried within the payload bays, enabling extended on-station time in contested environments.
The origins of Clone Ranger link back to Sierra Technical Services (STS), which Kratos acquired in 2023. A leaked presentation slide from STS reveals additional details, including twin vertical tails, winglets, and a single-engine configuration. It also outlines a wide range of possible payloads, from precision-guided bombs to air-launched drones, broadening its operational flexibility. Comparisons have already been made with Lockheed Martin’s Saber Warrior concept of the 1990s, which featured a similar dual-fuselage layout but was larger and powered by a turbofan engine. Whether Clone Ranger inherits any lineage from Saber Warrior remains uncertain, but the resemblance underscores how enduring these design principles have been in U.S. drone development.
Operationally, Clone Ranger’s modular structure, combined with its stealth features and refueling capability, positions it as a candidate for roles envisioned in the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The drone offers a pathway to “affordable mass,” a key strategic priority highlighted by U.S. Air Force officials who emphasize the need for numerous, survivable, and cost-effective platforms capable of overwhelming adversaries like China. The short-field capability further enhances deployment flexibility, allowing operations from dispersed bases and forward locations, thereby complicating enemy targeting strategies.
Strategically, Clone Ranger embodies the evolving doctrine of distributed and resilient airpower. Its combination of strike, surveillance, and aerial refueling roles suggests it could reshape how the U.S. and its allies conduct operations in highly contested environments. If deployed in swarms, Clone Rangers could extend coverage, confuse enemy defenses with decoys and electronic warfare payloads, and sustain themselves through buddy refueling, reducing reliance on vulnerable tanker fleets.
Clone Ranger remains at the conceptual design maturity stage, but its unveiling reflects Kratos’ ambition to remain a key player in next-generation unmanned systems. With its stealth shaping, dual payload capacity, and multi-mission profile, it signals an approach to future air combat where survivability, modularity, and autonomy converge. The program’s trajectory will be closely watched, not only for its potential operational impact but also for the industrial and strategic choices it may force within the wider defense landscape.
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On August 18, 2025, Kratos revealed a new rendering of the Clone Ranger unmanned system, featuring a compact, modular airframe designed for efficient production and operation from relatively short runways. The system is envisioned to deliver long-range strike and surveillance capabilities, expanding Kratos’ portfolio of affordable unmanned platforms. Kratos confirmed the name and offered additional configuration notes, while stressing that the effort remains at “conceptual design maturity.” The rendering appeared on Kratos’ website without a caption, but the company later provided context to TWZ in an on-the-record exchange.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
With its stealth shaping, dual payload capacity, and multi-mission profile, Clone Ranger of Kratos signals an approach to future air combat where survivability, modularity, and autonomy converge (Picture source: Kratos)
The artwork of the Clone Ranger unmanned system on the website of Kratos Defense, shows a low-observable platform with a broad central body and diamond-influenced wings. Forward extensions on either side of the nose frame an intake placed between two horn-like structures, yielding a twin-prong silhouette unlike Kratos’ other publicly seen designs. The image does not reveal a landing gear arrangement, but Kratos points to short-field operations, implying a conventional gear solution despite its absence in the rendering. The company has not disclosed engine count or type.
Kratos depicts twin internal bays sized for mixed effects and endurance in contested airspace, plus multi-role sensor stations forward. In the rendering, the aircraft ejects a GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb and an ADM-160 MALD from the left bay while an AIM-120 AMRAAM departs the right; a single AIM-9X appears on an under-wing pylon. A faceted fairing beneath the left forward projection is shown “painting” a Scud-type launcher, consistent with a multi-purpose electro-optical targeting installation. A Chinese J-20 stealth fighter is also presented in the rendering as a notional aerial adversary, underlining the drone’s intended counter-air role. According to Kratos, Clone Rangers could be configured for counter-air operations, strike missions, reconnaissance, and surveillance. The company also emphasized a disruptive “buddy refueling” capability, with a two-part probe-and-drogue system designed to be carried within the payload bays, enabling extended on-station time in contested environments.
The origins of Clone Ranger link back to Sierra Technical Services (STS), which Kratos acquired in 2023. A leaked presentation slide from STS reveals additional details, including twin vertical tails, winglets, and a single-engine configuration. It also outlines a wide range of possible payloads, from precision-guided bombs to air-launched drones, broadening its operational flexibility. Comparisons have already been made with Lockheed Martin’s Saber Warrior concept of the 1990s, which featured a similar dual-fuselage layout but was larger and powered by a turbofan engine. Whether Clone Ranger inherits any lineage from Saber Warrior remains uncertain, but the resemblance underscores how enduring these design principles have been in U.S. drone development.
Operationally, Clone Ranger’s modular structure, combined with its stealth features and refueling capability, positions it as a candidate for roles envisioned in the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The drone offers a pathway to “affordable mass,” a key strategic priority highlighted by U.S. Air Force officials who emphasize the need for numerous, survivable, and cost-effective platforms capable of overwhelming adversaries like China. The short-field capability further enhances deployment flexibility, allowing operations from dispersed bases and forward locations, thereby complicating enemy targeting strategies.
Strategically, Clone Ranger embodies the evolving doctrine of distributed and resilient airpower. Its combination of strike, surveillance, and aerial refueling roles suggests it could reshape how the U.S. and its allies conduct operations in highly contested environments. If deployed in swarms, Clone Rangers could extend coverage, confuse enemy defenses with decoys and electronic warfare payloads, and sustain themselves through buddy refueling, reducing reliance on vulnerable tanker fleets.
Clone Ranger remains at the conceptual design maturity stage, but its unveiling reflects Kratos’ ambition to remain a key player in next-generation unmanned systems. With its stealth shaping, dual payload capacity, and multi-mission profile, it signals an approach to future air combat where survivability, modularity, and autonomy converge. The program’s trajectory will be closely watched, not only for its potential operational impact but also for the industrial and strategic choices it may force within the wider defense landscape.
