Airbus and Kratos fly combat drone U740 Valkyrie in European skies for the first time

A US-European consortium comprising Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has flown the U740 Valkyrie unmanned combat aircraft in Europe for the first time.

The companies announced this on Monday, October 12, stating that the flight confirms they are on schedule to deliver a combat-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2029, designed primarily for the German Air Force.

According to Airbus, the flight took place at a test range in northern Europe and all set objectives were met. These included a rocket-assisted takeoff without a runway, maneuvers at various altitudes, acceleration to Mach 0.8, and in-flight mission reassignment. Neither the test range nor the exact date of the trial was disclosed. According to Janes, the U740 became the first CCA to fly in Europe.

An American airframe with a European “brain”

The U740 is based on Kratos’s XQ-58A Valkyrie, which first flew in the United States in March 2019. What debuted, therefore, was the European version of the aircraft developed by Airbus, not the original design. Airbus will equip the aircraft with its own MARS (Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure) mission management system, which the company calls the aircraft’s “European brain.” According to Airbus, the system gives German and other European operators control over the software, mission applications, data, and hardware. Kratos stated that the first flight “paves the way” for more complex tests using MARS.

The aircraft is approximately 9.1 meters long, with a wingspan of 8.2 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of around three tonnes. Its range exceeds 5,000 kilometers and its service ceiling is 45,000 feet. Weapons are carried in an internal bay, with additional payload able to be mounted on underwing pylons. The aircraft is designed for both autonomous flight and control from manned fighters — including the Eurofighter — during particularly high-risk missions.

A proposal for Berlin

The Airbus and Kratos partnership was announced in July 2025. By the end of the decade, they plan to offer the Luftwaffe a sovereign CCA — an unmanned strike aircraft operating alongside manned fighters — and are also eyeing other European markets.

“In an increasingly complex and intense fight against threats, air forces need affordable mass in combat,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.

He said that combining Kratos’s proven airframe with Airbus’s sovereign mission management system would yield a CCA that would be “reliable, sovereign, affordable, and combat-ready by the end of this decade.”

Kratos CEO Eric DeMarco noted that first flights typically bring “a lot of opportunities to learn,” but that this one went “brilliantly” thanks to the system’s maturity.

The Valkyrie still has a long way to go before reaching combat readiness: the program faces further flight tests and integration of the MARS system. The aircraft’s final configuration will depend on the requirements of the German Air Force and on how well it interacts with the combat systems it is intended to support.