At an undisclosed test facility in northern Europe, Airbus and Kratos have flown the U740 Valkyrie for the first time on the continent, Airbus announced on 12 October. The uncrewed aircraft completed the planned flight objectives, according to the manufacturer, advancing a programme aimed at providing a combat-ready capability in 2029.
The aircraft used a rocket-assisted launch, demonstrating its ability to take off without a conventional runway. Airbus reported manoeuvres at Mach 0.8 and adjustments to the mission during flight. The announcement did not identify the test site's city or country; the German location on the release is the announcement dateline.
The next challenge is the mission system
Airbus plans further testing with its Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure system, known as MARS. That is a distinct development task: getting the aircraft airborne and integrating the intelligence used to carry out missions are different milestones.
The company describes a future combination of autonomy assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) and human control over critical decisions, with 2029 as its target for a combat-ready capability.
A partner for crewed aircraft
In its earlier explanation of uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft, Airbus describes a division of labour in which a pilot assigns high-level objectives while the uncrewed platform handles more of the detailed flying and mission execution. That concept is intended to expand what a crewed aircraft can accomplish with accompanying platforms.
The U740 draws on Kratos's XQ-58 Valkyrie design. It should not be confused with Airbus's separate U760 programme, which the manufacturer places on a later development path into the early 2030s. The common ambition is cooperation with crewed aviation; the vehicles and schedules are different.
For European operators and suppliers, the useful question after this flight is what the next tests will establish about that cooperation. A successful airframe demonstration is a tangible step, but the planned role also depends on mission-system integration and how people command the aircraft. Those are the stages to watch as Airbus moves from its first European sortie towards the stated 2029 objective.