Airbus Flies U740 Valkyrie Combat Drone for the First Time in Europe, Targets 2029 for Germany

Airbus Defence and Space and its U.S. partner Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced on October 12 that the uncrewed combat aircraft U740 Valkyrie has completed its first flight in Europe. The flight took place at an undisclosed test site in Northern Europe; according to Airbus CEO Michael Schoellhorn, speaking to Reuters, the flight itself happened on September 29, with the announcement following roughly two weeks later. The stated goal is a combat-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) for the German Air Force and other European air forces by 2029.

Schoellhorn summed up the program’s rationale: “air forces require affordable combat mass.” Kratos CEO Eric DeMarco called the flight “an amazing success.” No country has yet placed a firm order, and the flight represents a technology-maturation milestone rather than a program launch.

What the flight demonstrated

The test met all its stated objectives: a runway-independent, rocket-assisted takeoff; maneuvers at multiple altitudes and speeds; speeds up to Mach 0.8; and in-flight reconfiguration of mission parameters. For this first flight, the aircraft used the Kratos-built airframe paired with a European mission system, but not yet Airbus’s own mission-management software, known as MARS (Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure), which will be integrated in later test flights.

MARS: Europe’s unmanned “brain”

MARS is described as the architecture controlling the aircraft’s software, mission applications, data and system hardware. Airbus says it is designed to give Germany and other European states sovereignty over how the Valkyrie is operated. The AI-enabled software can fly missions autonomously and coordinate groups of aircraft, but critical decisions remain under human supervisory control, bound by rules of engagement and ethical and legal standards.

Specifications and timeline

Disclosed figures put the U740 Valkyrie at 9.1 meters long with an 8.2-meter wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of about three tonnes. Range is given as over 5,000 kilometers, with a service ceiling of 45,000 feet. The airframe carries an internal weapons bay plus external payload stations under the wings. Schoellhorn said teaming trials with the Eurofighter are expected in 2027, ahead of the 2029 combat-ready target.

Europe’s “affordable mass” approach

The program is built on a European variant of Kratos’s U.S. XQ-58 Valkyrie platform, positioned as part of a broader European push to build an indigenous loyal-wingman capability rather than depend entirely on U.S. or Chinese technology. Adding a loyal wingman to Germany’s Eurofighter fleet is framed as a cost-effective force multiplier within NATO’s broader air-power balance.

Why the announcement gap matters

The roughly two-week gap between the September 29 flight and the October 12 announcement, along with the still-undisclosed test location and full flight parameters, points to the program’s sensitivity. The cautious disclosure reflects both Airbus’s reluctance to tip off competing CCA programs and the fact that this first flight remains an early maturity milestone rather than a finished capability.

A relevant comparison for Türkiye

Europe’s step offers a direct point of comparison with Türkiye’s own loyal-wingman work. Baykar’s KIZILELMA and TUSAŞ’s plans to team future KAAN fighters with unmanned wingmen pursue a conceptually similar “manned-unmanned teaming” logic to the Airbus-Kratos partnership. The difference is that Türkiye’s KIZILELMA has already reached operational flight testing, while Europe’s CCA effort is still at the first-flight, technology-maturation stage — raising the question of how closely the timelines of the Turkish and European loyal-wingman programs will converge if Europe meets its 2029 target.

What comes next

The next phase centers on flight tests with the MARS mission system integrated, followed by the Eurofighter teaming trials planned for 2027. Airbus and Kratos acknowledge they have no order yet, meaning the 2029 target still depends on political and budgetary decisions across European governments.

Sources

• Airbus Defence and Space, press release, “Airbus U740-Valkyrie uncrewed combat aircraft takes off for its maiden flight in Europe,” Oct 12, 2026 — flight details, MARS system and official statements. https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-10-airbus-u740-valkyrie-uncrewed-combat-aircraft-takes-off-for-its-maiden-flight-in-europe
• TWZ, “European U740 Variant Of The XQ-58A Valkyrie Has Flown” — program context and technical assessment. https://www.twz.com/air/european-u740-variant-of-the-xq-58a-valkyrie-has-flown
• Defence Blog, “Valkyrie ‘fighter drone’ makes first flight in Europe” — corroborating source. https://defence-blog.com/valkyrie-fighter-drone-makes-first-flight-in-europe/
• Aerotime, “Airbus U740 Valkyrie combat drone completes first flight in Europe” — timeline and Schoellhorn quotes. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/airbus-u740-valkyrie-combat-drone-first-flight-europe