The War Zone has reported:
Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have completed the first flight of the U740 Valkyrie, a Europeanized version of the American XQ-58A, as they work toward delivering a combat-ready system to Germany by 2029. The flight advances a proposal aimed at the German Air Force, known as the Luftwaffe, which is moving toward acquiring a new class of jet-powered combat drones. The effort comes amid a possible major change in Germany’s historically limited armed uncrewed-aircraft capabilities.
Airbus announced the flight on October 12, 2026. It took place at an unnamed test facility in northern Europe. The aircraft used rocket assistance to take off, performed manoeuvres at different altitudes and reached speeds of up to Mach 0.8.
The test included in-flight changes to the mission, and Airbus said all objectives were met. The company posted a video and images of the aircraft, describing the flight as one step closer to bringing an operational uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA, to German and other European armed forces. Airbus’ post was signed Airbus Defence.
The next phase is expected to add Airbus’ Multi-platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure mission system, known as MARS. Airbus intends the system to provide European-controlled software and mission management for the aircraft, support autonomous operations and coordinate multiple uncrewed aircraft while preserving human oversight of critical decisions.
The U740 is based on Kratos’ XQ-58A Valkyrie, an American-developed aircraft designed as a relatively affordable combat platform. Airbus is adapting it with MARS and presents the pairing as a way for Germany to obtain a sovereign European capability without waiting for an entirely new airframe to mature. Since the underlying aircraft is American, the degree of sovereignty Germany can achieve will depend on its practical ability to control and modify the software, integrate national systems and sustain the aircraft over its service life.
Published performance figures list the U740’s maximum takeoff weight at around 3,000 kilograms, or 6,600 pounds. Airbus gives its range as more than 5,000 kilometres, or 3,100 miles, and its service ceiling as 45,000 feet. The aircraft has an internal weapons bay and external payload stations beneath its wings.
Rocket-assisted launch is one of the U740’s distinctive features, reducing its reliance on conventional runways. The original Valkyrie design is primarily recovered by parachute, while newer versions can launch with rocket assistance and land on a runway. This gives operators more options for where and how to use the aircraft, including potentially dispersing Luftwaffe operations or launching from sites where established airfields are unavailable or under threat.
The XQ-58 family has shown potential for adaptation to different requirements. The U.S. Marine Corps has explored ways to expand the aircraft’s flexibility, including further development to meet its own mission needs. A rocket-assisted launch would also recall practical German Cold War studies involving F-104G Starfighter fighter-bombers, which used the Zero-Length Launch, or ZELL, system to take off from dispersed locations.
Airbus says the U740 could operate autonomously or under the direction of crewed fighters such as the Eurofighter. The company sees uncrewed platforms as a way to extend the reach, firepower and survivability of existing combat aircraft, while assigning higher-risk missions to aircraft without pilots aboard. With MARS, Airbus also aims to give European customers control over mission applications, data and key software functions, while allowing autonomous mission execution and coordination between aircraft.
That software and mission architecture could matter to Germany if it wants to integrate national weapons, sensors and operational requirements without depending on a foreign-controlled system. The first European flight is a significant program step, but the aircraft is not yet combat-ready. Mission-system integration, further testing and demonstrations of effective cooperation with crewed aircraft remain central tasks for the companies’ 2029 target.
Germany is developing requirements for a capability described in press reports as a Jagdbomberdrohne, or fighter-bomber drone. Its precise operational concept has not been made public. It remains unclear whether the Luftwaffe chiefly wants an uncrewed aircraft to accompany crewed fighters, a system for independent long-range strike missions, or both.
The distinction in possible roles will shape the aircraft Germany selects. A conventional CCA would work alongside crewed fighters, extending their reach and adding combat mass. An aircraft intended to operate independently against targets deep inside enemy territory would put more emphasis on range and survivability; the roles can overlap, but the final Luftwaffe requirements will determine priorities.
Germany could choose a split approach, pairing more capable, longer-range aircraft for deep strikes with cheaper, attritable CCAs flying alongside crewed fighters. Collaborative aircraft could also extend the usefulness of older fourth-generation fighters by increasing their sensor reach and weapons capacity and taking on more dangerous tasks. The broader shift is toward uncrewed aircraft able to carry additional weapons, sensors and electronic warfare capabilities without putting a pilot at risk.
Germany has lagged several other major military powers in fielding armed uncrewed aircraft. Earlier attempts to acquire larger reconnaissance drones faced significant technical and procurement problems, and political opposition to armed drones delayed development of a strike capability for years. The Luftwaffe’s current larger uncrewed fleet consists of five leased Israeli-made Heron TP medium-altitude, long-endurance drones.
Germany is also part of the Eurodrone program. Uncrewed systems were expected to be included in the wider Future Combat Air System, or FCAS, before that Franco-German-led effort hit the buffers earlier in 2026. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Germany’s subsequent military build-up have added pressure to address capability gaps. Berlin has set a goal of being ready for war by 2029, and reports indicate the Luftwaffe wants a new combat-drone capability on a similarly ambitious schedule.
The competition reportedly includes Airbus and Kratos, Anduril, General Atomics in partnership with Germany’s INTEC, and Lockheed Martin. Boeing and Rheinmetall are proposing the larger Block 3 version of the Australian-developed MQ-28 Ghost Bat. German defence startup Helsing and Hensoldt are pursuing the homegrown CA-1 Europa.
Airbus is also developing the larger U760 Ravenstorm, which is intended to enter service in the early 2030s. The Ravenstorm is designed to operate alongside fighter aircraft in air-to-air combat, strike and electronic warfare roles, offering Airbus a longer-term route toward a more advanced European-designed uncrewed combat aircraft as it pursues the nearer-term Valkyrie effort.
In the near term, the Luftwaffe must decide which capabilities an initial operational fleet needs and which could come later. Even an aircraft based on an established design requires integration, testing, training and infrastructure before it can be used effectively in combat. Germany’s 2029 target leaves little time to integrate MARS and establish how the U740 would be employed, particularly given the Luftwaffe’s limited experience with large uncrewed aircraft and lack of experience with jet-powered combat drones.
The European flight gives Airbus and Kratos a head start in testing the U740 against German requirements. The next major milestone is to fly the aircraft with the MARS mission system, and the pace of that work will help determine whether the Valkyrie can meet the Luftwaffe’s timetable.