Griffon Aerospace RQ-11 Valiant
The Valiant VTOL UAV was revealed by Griffon Aerospace in 2022. It has a hybrid-electric propulsion system, where an internal heavy-fuel engine generates the power for the electric motors, which drive four small tilt-rotors. Two of the rotors are mounted on the wings, and two on the tips of the V-tail. In forward flight, only the two rear-mounted propellers provide thrust, while the wing-mounted ones are stopped and folded. Griffon Aerospace doesn't openly provide details about the Valiant's characteristics, like flight performance, payload capacity and endurance.
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| Photo: Courtesy U.S. Army |
| Valiant (YRQ-11A) |
The Valiant was one of five UAVs entered into the U.S. Army's FTUAS (Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System) Increment 2 program. The FTUAS program is planned to lead to a VTOL UAS, which will eventually replace the RQ-7 Shadow in Army service. In April 2024, it was announced that the Valiant has been downselected, together with the Textron Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ, for the next phase of the FTUAS evaluation. The payload concept is based on a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), where all mission payloads and even the control system can be exchanged with 3rd-party products. Validating MOSA was a major part of the Army's FTUAS testing in 2024. A production award for the winning FTUAS contender was originally expected for the end of 2025. However, the Army cancelled the program in May that year.
In December 2024, the official designation YRQ-11A was allocated by the Army to the FTUAS prototypes of the Valiant. YRQ-11A is a duplication of the designation of the RQ-11 Raven, which is particularly unusual, because the Raven is still in service.
Specifications
No details about the characteristics of the Valiant are available.
Main Sources
[1] Vertical Flight Society: Griffon Aerospace Valiant (prototype)
[2] Griffon Aerospace Website
[3] U.S. Army: The Army’s Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System Program
Achieves Two Major Milestones, September 2024
Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 2
Last Updated: 6 April 2025