Airbus and US defence firm Kratos Defense & Security Solutions said Monday they had successfully completed the first flight in Europe of the U740 Valkyrie, an uncrewed combat aircraft, as they work toward fielding a combat-ready version by 2029.

In a statement, Airbus said the flight took place at a test facility in Northern Europe and met all its objectives. It did not name the site.

The company said the aircraft made a rocket-assisted take-off that did not need a runway, flew manoeuvres at various altitudes, and reached speeds of up to Mach 0.8. It also carried out in-flight mission adjustments.

The two companies said the flight confirms they are on track to deliver an uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2029. They said it is designed to meet the requirements of the German and other European armed forces. CCAs are uncrewed aircraft designed to operate alongside crewed fighter jets.

Airbus said later tests will be more complex and will use its Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system. The company described MARS as the aircraft’s “European brain”. It said the system gives Germany or Europe full control over the software, mission applications, data, and hardware, and so supports national or European sovereignty over the aircraft’s use.

According to Airbus, MARS uses AI-enhanced software to carry out missions autonomously and coordinate groups of aircraft. The company said a strict control hierarchy keeps a human “on the loop”, so that critical decisions comply with rules of engagement and with 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 the Kratos airframe with Airbus’s European mission system would allow the companies to offer a sovereign, affordable, and combat-ready system by the end of the decade. He added that the Valkyrie could also extend the range, firepower, and survivability of crewed jets such as the Eurofighter.

Kratos President and CEO Eric DeMarco described the flight as a significant success. He said the maturity of the Valkyrie system and the close integration of the two teams contributed to the result.

Airbus gave the following specifications for the aircraft:

Length: 9.1 metres

Wingspan: 8.2 metres

Maximum take-off weight: about three tonnes

Range: more than 5,000 kilometres

Service ceiling: 45,000 feet

The Valkyrie has an internal weapons bay and external payload stations under the wings. Airbus said it can operate autonomously or under the command of crewed fighters. It can be launched from a rail or take off and land conventionally from a runway.

The details of the flight and the aircraft’s performance come from Airbus and have not been independently verified.

Source: PR