Airbus has conducted its first test flight of the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) it plans to team with Eurofighter jets by 2029, saying it is “on track” to deliver a combat-ready drone to “[address] the operational requirements of the German and other European armed forces.” However, while Airbus said the U740 Valkyrie prototype has met its initial objectives, it has not yet flown with its European mission system.
On October 12, Airbus confirmed that the U740 Valkyrie—developed from California-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’ XQ-58A, which first flew in the U.S. in 2019—made its first flight in Europe from an undisclosed northern European test facility. According to Airbus, the test met all objectives, including maneuvers at various altitudes, speeds up to Mach 0.8, and in-flight mission adjustments.
Notably, this also included a runway-independent rocket-assisted takeoff, in which the drone launches from a static ramp. Airbus Defence and Space CEO Mike Schoellhorn explained that the U740’s design “enables operational resilience through its rail launch capability, while offering conventional, runway-based takeoff and landing as an option.” Kratos added that the drone’s “ability to be pre-deployed and operated remotely, without requiring runway or airfield operations, makes it a unique and critical deterrence.”
Following the milestone, Airbus confirmed that “more sophisticated” flight tests are now planned, adding: “Based on the Kratos-built airframe, we’re equipping the Valkyrie with our own mission system.” Airbus says its aircraft-agnostic, AI-enhanced Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) system will serve as the CCA’s “European brain,” ensuring full control over software, mission applications, data, and system hardware.
In 2025, when Airbus and Kratos first signed a partnership agreement, the partners pledged to make the product “combat ready for the German air force” by 2029. In practical terms, this could mean the U740 operates autonomously or under the command of crewed fighters such as the Eurofighter, with Airbus saying the drone is “designed to deliver kinetic and non-kinetic effects.” Its range is listed as exceeding 5,000 kilometers (2,700 nm) with an altitude of up to 45,000 feet.
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