The existence of the Thanatos project was first made public by Kratos a year ago. The prototype’s maiden flight has confirmed the aircraft’s planned aerodynamic characteristics, marking a significant milestone in the development of this advanced system.
Kratos plans to now focus on testing the fully integrated system of the Thanatos. The project has reportedly been in development since at least 2019. In November 2023, the company included a computer-generated visualisation of the UCAV in its financial report.
At the time, Eric DeMarco, Kratos’ President and CEO, stated: “Among the new capabilities we are working on, we are in discussions with a customer and hope to sign a contract next year for other tactical unmanned systems, including Thanatos.” However, the identity of the customer has yet to be officially confirmed.
The US Air Force is widely believed to be the likely client, as their designation appeared on the previously shared visualisation of Thanatos. The UCAV is expected to undertake high-risk missions typically assigned to crewed aircraft, potentially reducing human exposure to danger in combat scenarios.
While details about its operational autonomy remain unclear, Thanatos is anticipated to leverage advances in artificial intelligence. Kratos has hinted that the final version of the UCAV could operate fully autonomously, reflecting the rapid evolution of AI-driven technologies in the defence sector.
