Airbus is preparing two Kratos Valkyrie uncrewed aircraft in Germany for their first flight equipped with a European mission system as part of plans to deliver an operational collaborative combat capability by 2029.
Brussels – Airbus is preparing two Kratos Valkyrie uncrewed aircraft for their first flight equipped with a European mission system as the company works towards providing the German Air Force with an operational Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) capability by 2029.
The aircraft are currently being prepared at Airbus facilities in Manching, near Munich. The two Valkyrie aircraft were acquired from US partner Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and are expected to conduct their maiden flight with the Airbus-developed mission system later in 2026.
EUROPEAN MISSION SYSTEM INTEGRATION
Airbus is equipping the aircraft with its Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system, a sovereign European architecture designed to manage autonomous operations across multiple platforms.
The system incorporates an artificial intelligence-supported software component known as MindShare. This capability is designed to perform the functions normally carried out by a pilot and to coordinate operations across groups of manned and uncrewed aircraft operating within the same mission environment.
Marco Gumbrecht, Head of Key Account Germany at Airbus Defence and Space, said the integration combines a proven air vehicle with a European-developed mission architecture.
According to Gumbrecht, the objective is to deliver a credible operational capability while ensuring key sovereign European elements are retained within the system architecture. He added that using an existing flight-proven platform helps reduce development time and cost compared with developing a new aircraft from the ground up.
AIRBUS AND KRATOS COLLABORATION
The programme brings together the respective capabilities of Airbus and Kratos in system integration, mission architecture and aircraft production.
Steve Fendley, President of the Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said the Valkyrie platform, combined with the Airbus MARS mission system, is designed to support multiple operational concepts. These include independent operations, coordinated teams of uncrewed aircraft and manned-unmanned teaming with conventional fighter aircraft.
According to Kratos, the system is intended to provide an affordable operational capability that can be deployed in numbers where required.
EUROFIGHTER CONNECTIVITY ENHANCEMENTS
To support collaborative operations, Airbus is also working with Rafael to enhance the Litening 5 Advanced Targeting Pod used on the Eurofighter fleet. The upgrades are intended to add connectivity capabilities that will allow the Eurofighter to operate as a command aircraft within mixed manned and uncrewed formations.
Together with minor updates to the Eurofighter’s avionics, the modifications are expected to support cross-platform data exchange and mission coordination.
VALKYRIE TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Kratos Valkyrie uncrewed aircraft measures approximately 9.1 metres in length with a wingspan of 8.2 metres and a range of more than 5,000 kilometres. The aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of around three tonnes and can operate at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet.
The Valkyrie first flew in the United States in 2019 and several aircraft have been operating since that time. The maiden flight of the Airbus-configured variant is planned for 2026.
Designed to operate either autonomously or under the control of a Eurofighter aircraft, the platform is intended to undertake mission tasks considered too high-risk for crewed aircraft, including both kinetic and non-kinetic operations.
SOURCE AND IMAGE: AIRBUS – Airbus is currently preparing two Valkyries for their first flight with its European mission system. The picture shows one of them.
