Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has completed a series of flight tests for its TDI-J85 turbojet engine across three distinct launch configurations, validating the propulsion system for a range of low-cost cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems.

Announced in an October 12, 2026, press release, the tests demonstrated the engine’s viability in lugged launch, palletized launch, and surface-to-surface applications. The milestone aligns with the company’s aggressive manufacturing scale-up to meet surging military demand for mass-producible precision-strike capabilities.

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Flight test validation and production scale-up

The recent flight tests evaluated the TDI-J85, part of the Kratos Spartan engine family, in diverse operational scenarios. By successfully deploying the engine via lugged launch, palletized systems, and surface-to-surface methods, Kratos aims to prove the platform’s adaptability for various tactical munitions and decoy systems.

“Our successful flight tests across diverse deployment methods prove the versatility and reliability of the TDI-J85 engine,” said Joseph Kovasity, Senior Vice President of Kratos TDI.

The technical validation coincides with a major industrial expansion. Kratos confirmed it has secured a 3,000-engine component order for 2027 production. The company is actively building out its manufacturing infrastructure to support an annual production capacity of more than 10,000 engines by 2029.

Kovasity noted that pairing operational success with high-rate manufacturing transforms the industry approach to affordable propulsion, demonstrating a commitment to delivering mass and capability at an unprecedented scale.

TDI-J85 specifications and the Spartan family

The TDI-J85 is a small turbojet engine designed to provide military-grade propulsion for tactical missiles and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The powerplant produces up to 200 lbf of maximum sea-level static thrust. It also features an integral generator capable of delivering up to 1.5 kW of continuous power to host vehicle systems.

Kratos President and CEO Eric DeMarco positioned the Spartan engine family as a direct response to shifting military procurement priorities, which increasingly favor volume and affordability over exquisite, low-density platforms.

“Kratos’ Spartan Family of small turbojet engines for low-cost jet drones and cruise missiles is a recent example of the success of our strategy to make the internally funded investments necessary to deliver technology rich national security systems, products, hardware, and software at the right time, with the key performance, and in the high quantities demanded to rebuild the U.S. defense inventory,” DeMarco said.

Building the affordable mass supply chain

The development of the TDI-J85 traces back to 2020, when Kratos acquired small turbojet manufacturer Technical Directions Inc. (TDI). The acquisition brought specialized small-turbine expertise in-house, allowing Kratos to vertically integrate propulsion for its own UAS platforms and offer engines directly to prime contractors.

A key application for the TDI-J85 emerged on October 16, 2023, when The Boeing Company and Kratos signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Under the agreement, the TDI-J85 provides propulsion for Boeing’s Powered Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). The Powered JDAM combines a standard 500-pound ordnance with a wing kit and the Kratos turbojet, creating a low-cost, long-range strike weapon.

Anticipating demand for systems like the Powered JDAM, Kratos announced on June 9, 2026, that it was initiating internally funded long-lead material procurement to support the 3,000-unit production run in 2027. The strategy relies on a fully domestic U.S. supply chain to avoid geopolitical bottlenecks and ensure rapid scalability.

AirPro News analysis

We view Kratos’ target of 10,000 engines annually by 2029 as a stark indicator of where munitions procurement is heading. Traditional aerospace prime contractors typically measure turbine engine production in the hundreds per year. Scaling to 10,000 units requires automotive-style manufacturing techniques and a fundamental departure from bespoke aerospace engineering. If Kratos can achieve this volume while maintaining the reliability demonstrated in the October 12 flight tests, the company will be uniquely positioned to dominate the propulsion market for the next generation of attritable, mass-deployed munitions. The idiosyncratic reference to the “Department of War” in the company’s press materials underscores a wartime-footing mentality that is increasingly driving internal investment decisions across the mid-tier defense sector.

PTC Inc. and the United States Air Force (USAF) have renewed a contract to utilize the Servigistics supply chain optimization platform, integrating artificial intelligence to manage a $76 billion global service parts network.

The agreement, announced in an October 15, 2026 press release, extends the military branch’s Enterprise Supply Chain Analysis, Planning, and Execution (ESCAPE) program. The latest phase of the partnership focuses on exception-based management to automate routine workflows and align inventory decisions directly with aircraft availability objectives.

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Advancing the ESCAPE program with artificial intelligence

The renewed contract enables the USAF to deploy artificial intelligence and exception-based management tools across its logistics network. These capabilities allow supply chain planners to automate standard inventory workflows and focus their attention on critical interventions that directly impact fleet readiness.

Abigail Strobell, Deputy Chief of the USAF, emphasized the operational necessity of the software upgrade in managing global defense logistics.

“Readiness depends on our ability to anticipate requirements and make effective supply chain decisions in an increasingly complex operational environment,” Strobell said. “Our continued use of Servigistics enables us to build on the progress we have made in modernizing service parts planning and strengthen the supply chain capabilities that support aircraft availability.”

A decade of supply chain modernization

The relationship between the Boston-based software provider and the USAF spans nearly ten years. The military branch initially selected the Servigistics Software as a Service (SaaS) solution on January 31, 2017. At that time, the platform was tasked with optimizing a global supply chain encompassing over 5,000 aircraft and 650,000 individual items distributed across 1,500 locations.

The partnership deepened on January 18, 2022, when PTC announced a five-year expansion contract valued at up to $95 million. That agreement formally integrated Servigistics into the ESCAPE program, which is managed by the 3,000 personnel of the USAF Sustainment Center’s 448th Supply Chain Management Wing.

While the October 15, 2026 announcement confirmed the continuation of the ESCAPE program integration, PTC did not disclose the specific financial value or the exact term length of the renewed contract.

Broader aerospace and defense adoption

The USAF renewal highlights the established role of Servigistics within the aerospace and defense sector. Beyond the Air Force, the platform is currently deployed by the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard to manage complex military logistics.

Major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing, also utilize the software to optimize their service supply chains.

PTC employs over 7,000 people and provides digital transformation and product lifecycle solutions to more than 30,000 customers globally.

AirPro News analysis

The USAF decision to integrate artificial intelligence into the ESCAPE program illustrates a necessary shift in military logistics from reactive tracking to predictive management. Managing a $76 billion parts inventory across thousands of aging and next-generation aircraft requires processing data at a scale that manual planning cannot sustain. By shifting to exception-based management, we see the USAF acknowledging that human planners are best utilized for resolving critical bottlenecks rather than executing routine reorders. This contract renewal suggests that the Department of Defense views commercial off-the-shelf AI supply chain solutions as a faster route to improved fleet readiness than developing bespoke internal systems.

A United States Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor pilot successfully executed airborne tactical command and in-flight control of an Anduril Industries YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) during a flight test in early October 2026.

The Department of the Air Force announced the milestone in an October 16, 2026, press release. The event marks the first time a crewed fighter has directed a semi-autonomous uncrewed wingman in flight, validating the “airborne quarterback” concept central to the military branch’s future air combat strategy.

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Validating the airborne quarterback concept

The flight test involved personnel from the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base in California and the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The effort also integrated teams from the 309th Software Engineering Group, the Experimental Operations Unit, the F-22 System Program Office, and the CCA Software Autonomy and Teaming Branch. During the sortie, the F-22 pilot issued high-level tactical directives to the YFQ-44A, which operated semi-autonomously to execute the commands.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach stated the flight demonstrates the power of crewed-uncrewed teaming and the advantage it provides to warfighters.

“We must test often, learn fast and give commanders what they need, when they need it,” Wilsbach said in the official release.

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink emphasized the rapid development cycle required to field these systems.

“This achievement demonstrates what is possible when we are aligned with industry on a shared imperative: delivering capability to the warfighter at unprecedented speed,” Meink said. “We are driving urgency into every part of acquisition from rapid integration and flight learning to disciplined assessment, so we can turn promising technology into combat capability at the pace the threat demands.”

The path to Increment 1 fielding

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is a USAF initiative designed to develop semi-autonomous uncrewed aircraft that will fly alongside crewed fighters. These include the F-22, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, and the future Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform. The F-22 Raptor serves as the threshold platform for the program, designating it as the first crewed aircraft integrated to pair with and control the drones in flight.

The YFQ-44A Fury originated with Blue Force Technologies, a drone manufacturer acquired by Anduril Industries in September 2023. The aircraft is a fighter-like uncrewed combat aerial vehicle powered by a Williams FJ44-4M turbofan engine. It is engineered to pull up to 9g and fly at speeds reaching Mach 0.95.

The October 2026 tactical control demonstration follows a series of rapid developmental milestones. Earlier in 2026, a Fury drone successfully launched an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). In September 2026, Anduril conducted tests involving the Fury flying in formation with F-35 fighters, although the crewed aircraft were not yet issuing mid-air commands during those sorties.

On September 14, 2026, the Air Force officially named the two Increment 1 CCA designs: the Anduril FQ-44 Fury and the General Atomics FQ-42 Vengeance. General Atomics serves as the other prime contractor for the first increment of the program.

Shifting air combat strategy toward affordable mass

The CCA program represents a fundamental shift in military aviation strategy. The USAF is moving toward a concept of affordable mass, pairing highly capable and expensive crewed fighters with cheaper, semi-attritable uncrewed systems.

The Department of the Air Force intends to have 500 combat-ready, semi-autonomous CCA systems in service by 2032. The overall planned fleet size for the program is projected to reach 1,000 aircraft.

AirPro News analysis

The successful integration of the F-22 Raptor with the YFQ-44A Fury marks a critical transition from theoretical doctrine to operational reality. By proving that a single pilot can manage a semi-autonomous wingman while flying a fifth-generation fighter, the USAF has cleared a major technical hurdle in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. We view this milestone as a strong indicator that the aggressive 2032 fielding timeline for 500 combat-ready systems remains viable. Establishing the F-22 as the threshold platform provides a mature testing environment that will likely accelerate the eventual integration of these uncrewed systems with the F-35 and the Next-Generation Air Dominance platform.