Airbus and Kratos U740 Valkyrie drone testing

Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have conducted the first European test flights of the U740 Valkyrie, an uncrewed combat aircraft designed for collaborative combat operations. The tests, performed at a facility in Northern Europe, successfully demonstrated rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) without a runway, maneuvers at various altitudes, and the ability to adjust mission parameters during flight. The aircraft reached speeds of Mach 0.8.

The U740 Valkyrie is intended to function as a ‘loyal wingman’ to extend the reach and firepower of crewed fighters like the Eurofighter Typhoon. It utilizes the Airbus-developed Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system and MindShare software, which use artificial intelligence to enable autonomous operations and mission coordination while maintaining a ‘human-on-the-loop’ hierarchy for critical decisions.

Technical capabilities demonstrated or noted include a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers, a service ceiling of 45,000 feet, and an internal weapons bay. The program aims to deliver combat-ready systems to Germany and other European nations by 2029. Parallel developments in manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) have also shown that pilots in aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor can direct unmanned combat aircraft via high-speed data links using voice or touch commands.