Airbus, in partnership with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), has successfully completed the first flight of the "U740-Valkyrie" in Europe. Airbus said the milestone confirms that the two companies are on track to deliver a combat-ready uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2029, addressing the operational requirements of the German and other European Armed Forces.
According to Airbus, the flight was conducted at a test facility in Northern Europe and achieved all objectives, including a runway independent rocket-assisted take-off, manoeuvers at various altitudes and speeds up to Mach 0.8, as well as in-flight mission adjustments. Airbus said the debut paves the way for subsequent, more sophisticated flight tests with its Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system.
Airbus describes MARS as the aircraft's "European brain," ensuring full control over software as well as mission applications, data and system hardware, and enabling national German or European sovereignty in operational use of the Valkyrie. Airbus said MARS utilises AI-enhanced software to conduct missions autonomously and coordinate entire mission groups, with a strict control hierarchy ensuring a human remains on the loop so that critical decisions comply with established rules of engagement as well as ethical and legal standards.
"In an increasingly complex and contested threat environment, air forces require affordable combat mass," said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. He said pairing Kratos' proven airframe as a "program of record" with Airbus' sovereign European mission system would allow the partners to offer a robust, sovereign, affordable and combat-ready CCA system by the end of the decade. He added that the Valkyrie will also play a critical role in enhancing crewed combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter with extended range, firepower and survivability, and that the aircraft design enables operational resilience through its rail launch capability while offering conventional, runway based, take-off and landing as an option.
"First flights typically include plenty of learning opportunities, but with the maturity of the Valkyrie system and the well-integrated Airbus and Kratos team, this flight was an amazing success," said Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos. He said Kratos is proud to partner with Airbus on CCA opportunities in Germany and other parts of the world, and that combining the strengths of the two companies enables the affordable Valkyrie system and Kratos' CCA and drone manufacturing legacy to evolve with MARS and Airbus' other high-capability subsystems, experience and knowledge.
According to Airbus, the U740 Valkyrie has a length of 9.1m and a wingspan of 8.2m, with an internal weapons bay and external payload stations under the wings. Airbus said it has a maximum take-off weight of approximately three tonnes, a range exceeding 5,000 kilometres and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet. The aircraft is engineered to operate autonomously or under the command of crewed fighters, such as the Eurofighter, to execute high-risk missions and protect crewed assets.
