Airbus is working at full throttle to deliver an operational Unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) capability for the German Air Force by 2029. At its Manching site near Munich, the company is preparing two Valkyrie aircraft acquired from US partner Kratos Defense & Security Solutions for their first flight using a sovereign European mission system.
The aircraft are scheduled to fly later this year. Airbus and Kratos are combining their respective expertise to integrate, missionise, and ultimately produce and deliver the Airbus UCCA system.
Airbus is equipping the aircraft with its European-developed mission system, the Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) architecture. MARS includes an AI-supported software core called MindShare, designed to replace the onboard pilot and coordinate mission groups across multiple manned and unmanned platforms. By distributing decision-making and control functions across the network, the system enables collaborative operations between aircraft.
According to Airbus, integrating the flight-proven Valkyrie with the MARS system allows the company to offer Germany a ready and credible capability without the time and cost required to develop a new aircraft from scratch. The approach aims to deliver operational combat power quickly while maintaining key European sovereign technologies and ensuring affordability—an important driver for UCCA concepts.
Kratos highlighted the benefits of combining a production-ready platform with Airbus’ mission architecture. The resulting system is designed to perform multiple mission types and operate either independently, in teams of unmanned aircraft, or in manned-unmanned teaming alongside crewed fighters. Both companies emphasise that the system can be fielded as “affordable mass,” a capability increasingly considered decisive in high-intensity conflict scenarios.
In parallel, Airbus and Rafael are enhancing the Litening 5 Advanced Targeting Pod for the Eurofighter with new connectivity functions. Together with minor avionics upgrades, this will allow the Eurofighter to act as a command aircraft capable of coordinating collaborative unmanned platforms during operations.
The Valkyrie measures 9.1 metres in length with an 8.2-metre wingspan, a range exceeding 5,000 kilometres, and a maximum take-off weight of about three tonnes. It can operate at altitudes up to 45,000 feet. First flown in the United States in 2019, the aircraft has since accumulated regular flight operations, while the Airbus-configured variant is expected to make its maiden flight in 2026.
Source: Airbus