Airbus and Kratos Team Up to Put Combat Drones in European Skies

TLDR

• Airbus is preparing two Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie drones for first flight with a European mission system at its Manching, Germany facility
• The aircraft could fly later in 2026 as part of a plan to deliver an operational combat drone system to the German Air Force by 2029
• Airbus is equipping the Valkyries with its MARS (Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure) system, which includes AI software to coordinate manned and unmanned aircraft
• Airbus and Rafael are modifying the Litening 5 targeting pod on the Eurofighter to allow it to act as a command aircraft for the drones
• The Valkyrie has a range of over 5,000km, can reach 45,000 feet altitude, and first flew in the US in 2019

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Airbus is moving forward with plans to test two Kratos-built combat drones using a European mission system, with the first flights expected later this year.

The aircraft — the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie — are being prepared at Airbus facilities in Manching, near Munich. The goal is to have an operational system ready for the German Air Force by 2029.

The program links Airbus’s software expertise with Kratos’s drone hardware. Rather than building a new aircraft from scratch, Airbus is fitting the existing Valkyrie with its own command-and-control software to speed up delivery.

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Airbus is installing its MARS system onto the drones. MARS stands for Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure. It includes an AI software component called MindShare, designed to replace pilot functions and coordinate groups of both manned and unmanned aircraft in missions.

The company says combining a flight-tested platform with a European-developed mission system cuts development time and cost — while keeping control of key software on the European side.

MARS System and AI Integration

Kratos President of Unmanned Systems Steve Fendley said the pairing of the Valkyrie with the MARS system creates a “multi-mission, affordable system” that can fly solo, in drone teams, or alongside crewed aircraft.

Airbus’s Head of Key Account Germany, Marco Gumbrecht, said the setup gives Germany and Europe a proven platform without having to develop everything from the ground up — which he called critical given the current geopolitical environment.

The Valkyrie first flew in the United States in 2019 and has been in ongoing testing since. Airbus is targeting the Valkyrie’s first European flight later in 2026.

The drone measures 9.1 metres in length with an 8.2 metre wingspan. It has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometres, a ceiling of 45,000 feet, and a maximum takeoff weight of around three tons.

Eurofighter as Command Aircraft

The program also involves upgrades to the Eurofighter Typhoon to allow it to command and coordinate the drones during missions.

Airbus and Rafael are modifying the Litening 5 Advanced Targeting Pod, already used on Eurofighter aircraft, to add new connectivity functions. Minor avionics updates to the fighter jet itself are also planned.

These changes are designed to let Eurofighter pilots direct the Valkyries in real-time during combat operations.

The Valkyrie is designed for both kinetic and non-kinetic missions — including tasks considered too hazardous for pilots. Airbus says the drones can operate fully autonomously or under the direction of a crewed fighter.

For the German program, Airbus and Kratos are initially targeting a specific operational role to hit the 2029 delivery target.

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