U740 Valkyrie completes initial flight in Europe

The uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft has flown at a test facility in Northern Europe, keeping Airbus and Kratos on track to deliver a combat-ready system by 2029.

Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have completed the first flight of the U740 Valkyrie in Europe, confirming the partners are on track to deliver a combat-ready uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2029 to meet the operational requirements of the German and other European Armed Forces.

Conducted at a test facility in Northern Europe, the flight achieved all objectives, including a runway independent rocket-assisted take-off, manoeuvres at various altitudes and speeds up to Mach 0.8 as well as in-flight mission adjustments.

The debut paves the way for more sophisticated flight tests with Airbus’ Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system. Serving as the aircraft’s “European brain”, MARS ensures full control over software as well as mission applications, data and system hardware, enabling national German or European sovereignty over operational use of the Valkyrie. MARS utilises AI-enhanced software to conduct missions autonomously and coordinate entire mission groups. A strict control hierarchy keeps a human on the loop, ensuring all critical decisions comply with established rules of engagement as well as ethical and legal standards.

Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, says: “In an increasingly complex and contested threat environment, air forces require affordable combat mass. The Valkyrie will also play a critical role in enhancing crewed combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter with extended range, firepower and survivability.”

Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos, adds: “First flights typically include plenty of learning opportunities, but with the maturity of the Valkyrie system and the well-integrated Airbus and Kratos team, this flight was an amazing success.”

The U740 Valkyrie has a length of 9.1m and a wingspan of 8.2m, with an internal weapons bay and external payload stations under the wings. It has a maximum take-off weight of approximately three tonnes, a range exceeding 5,000km and a service ceiling of 45,000ft. The aircraft is engineered to operate autonomously or under the command of crewed fighters such as the Eurofighter to execute high-risk missions and protect crewed assets. Rail launch capability is intended to provide operational resilience, with conventional runway-based take-off and landing available as an option.