Airbus flies Kratos Valkyrie drone in Europe, targets German combat readiness in 2029

First flight over northern Europe

Airbus announced on Monday, 12 October, that the Valkyrie combat drone had completed its first test flight in Europe, on 29 September over northern Europe. The aircraft is a design developed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, and the test flew without the European mission system Airbus is developing for it. According to the company, the flight included a rocket-assisted takeoff that did not need a runway, manoeuvres at several altitudes, speeds up to Mach 0.8 and in-flight mission reconfigurations. Airbus said the flight met all its objectives. Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn told Reuters the flight was a success:

We flew up to Mach 0.8 at various flight altitudes and attitudes. We tried all sorts of things and were very impressed, so it was a complete success.

Regulatory hurdles

The test is meant to show that regulatory barriers which hampered earlier efforts to integrate military drones into Europe's complex airspace can be overcome. In 2013 Germany cancelled the Northrop-developed Euro Hawk drone after a dispute over European civil certification rules. Schoellhorn described the flight as a step forward on the approvals the project still needs:

For now, it's a major step in terms of the clearances required to make this project happen.

Timeline to 2029

Airbus and Kratos announced a partnership in 2025 to supply the German Air Force with combat drones by 2029. Schoellhorn said the next test flight, with Airbus's MARS mission system on board, is planned for the first quarter of 2027. The first flight teamed with a Eurofighter jet is scheduled later in 2027. Tages Anzeiger reports that the first weapons tests are planned for 2028. The planned milestones are set out below.

Cost and German requirements

Schoellhorn put the cost of one Valkyrie at around €20 million ($22.4 million) and estimated total German needs at around 500 CCAs. The German Air Force is still clarifying what the drones should do, including whether they would fly alongside fighter pilots in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strikes or electronic warfare. Schoellhorn said he hopes it will be clear in the first half of 2027 what Airbus is supposed to deliver. According to Tages Anzeiger, the Bundeswehr wants drones able to fly at least 1,000 kilometers, carry about 500 kilograms of weapons and be hard for enemy radar to detect.

Specifications and sovereignty claims

The drone is 9.1 meters long with an 8.2-meter wingspan and a maximum takeoff weight of about three tonnes, and its range exceeds 5,000 kilometers. Airbus says its MARS system uses AI-based software to fly missions autonomously and coordinate groups of aircraft. The company says MARS gives Germany and Europe full control over software, mission data and hardware, which it presents as national sovereignty over the operational use of the Valkyrie. Airbus also says the drone will play a key role in upgrading piloted fighters such as the Eurofighter.

Competition and the FCAS setback

Airbus faces a crowded field that includes Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, Anduril Industries and Saab. Tages Anzeiger reports that Rheinmetall is working with Boeing on the Ghost Bat combat drone. Airbus is under pressure after the failure of the Franco-German FCAS fighter project, and the same report says it is considering cooperation with Saab or the British-Italian-Japanese GCAP fighter alliance. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned in September that the threat from Russia had intensified, according to the same report. The next test flight is set for the first quarter of 2027.