Airbus, Kratos complete first European test flight with Valkyrie CCA
Debut sortie supports partners’ pursuit of opportunity to equip the German air force with combat-ready system by 2029.
Airbus has completed a successful debut test flight with the Kratos-produced Valkyrie uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). Conducted at an undisclosed test site in northern Europe on 29 September, the milestone saw the 3t-class vehicle perform a rocket-assisted rail launch.
“It was a picture-perfect flight,” says Hendrick Sippl, Airbus Defence & Space’s head of CCA collaborations and development. “Not only the preparation but the flight itself and the recovery were successful.”
The aircraft’s rocket boosters detached 2s after launch, “then it went straight away without any deviations”, he says. “We first flew a diamond pattern, also to approach the later recovery orbit, then entered into a longer racetrack pattern, where we flew at several flight levels… with several acceleration and deceleration phases.”
The Valkyrie reached an altitude of 30,000ft and a maximum speed of Mach 0.8, while the companies also successfully demonstrated the ability to reconfigure a pre-planned route while airborne.
On returning to its intended recovery point, the jet’s parachute and landing airbags were deployed. “We are quite satisfied with the result of the experience we gained,” Sippl told reporters during a 12 October online briefing. “The aircraft landing point was well in the pre-defined recovery area.”
The CCA was then returned as an underslung load by a transport helicopter. “The aircraft was well stabilised during the [helicopter] flight, with no swinging or spinning,” he says.
Kratos-produced Valkyrie is prepared for deployment using a rail launcher. Source: Airbus Defence & Space
“This key milestone confirms that Airbus and Kratos are on track to deliver a combat-ready uncrewed CCA by 2029, addressing the operational requirements of the German and other European armed forces,” Airbus states.
Sippl says the recent flight serves as “The perfect foundation for entering to the next steps.” A follow-on series of tests are planned for mid-2027 with a first version of Airbus’s Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system integrated with the aircraft.
Teamed with US airframer Kratos, Airbus is offering a tailored U740 Valkyrie product to meet an expected German air force requirement to launch CCA operations before the end of this decade.
“We are convinced that what we are doing right now will ultimately serve the demand of the German armed forces,” says Manuel Kiefer, Airbus’s sales director, NATO and Europe defence.
Should a German need formalise into an acquisition, Sippl says a third flight-test activity will be conducted in late 2027 or 2028, followed by a subsequent campaign to include the release of air-launched weapons from the U740 platform.
Airbus recently responded to a request from the German air force regarding a potential small study contract around CCAs, which Sippl believes could lead to a funding allocation before the end of this year.
“We don’t operate [this] as a demonstrator programme – we have a clear product ambition,” he notes. “All of the design work we are doing is heading for a product.”
Other likely contenders for a potential future deal with the Bundeswehr include the Anduril Industries Fury, Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, and Helsing’s in-development CA-1 Europa.
Airbus also earlier this year launched its own CCA development programme, unveiling its U760 Ravenstorm at the ILA Berlin air show in June.
Kiefer says the current development work being performed with the Valkyrie platform “gives us this unique opportunity to test the [MARS] mission system, to learn from it and then add it on to Ravenstorm”.
With a maximum take-off weight of roughly 6,000kg (13,200lb), the Ravenstorm is being targeted at service entry in 2032. The design could be employed in roles including air-to-surface strike, defensive counter-air, electronic warfare and the suppression of enemy air defences.
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