BRUSSELS - Airbus Defence and Space in Munich is working to deliver an operational uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (UCCA) system to the German Air Force by 2029, leveraging the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie platform and a sovereign European mission system.
At its Manching site near Munich, Airbus is preparing two Valkyrie aircraft acquired from Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. in San Diego for their first flights with the Airbus-developed mission system. The aircraft are scheduled to fly later this year.
Airbus is equipping the UCCA with its Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system, which includes an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software architecture called MindShare. The system is designed to replace onboard pilot functions and coordinate operations across multiple manned and uncrewed platforms in distributed mission scenarios.
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"By combining the Kratos Valkyrie with our MARS mission system, we are offering the German customer exactly what Germany and Europe urgently need in the current geopolitical situation: a proven flying uncrewed combat aircraft with a sovereign European mission system that does not have to be developed from scratch in a time-consuming and costly manner," said Marco Gumbrecht, head of key account Germany at Airbus Defence and Space. "Our objective is to deliver credible combat capability in time of relevance, while assuring key sovereign aspects. And we are confident that we can do this at a very affordable price, which is a key driver for UCCAs."
Steve Fendley, president of Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said, "We couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity, the capability we’re providing, and the teaming relationship with Airbus. By taking the flight-proven and in-production Valkyrie and integrating the Airbus MARS mission system, the Airbus-missionised Valkyrie UCCA is a multi-mission, affordable system that can operate independently, in teams of UAS, or in Manned-Unmanned-Teaming operations. Along with the technical and production backing Airbus and Kratos bring, we are realising an optimal capability system that can be bought and deployed as 'affordable mass'; the consistent discriminator identified in today’s peer to peer wargames."
Mission system and autonomy
The MARS architecture is intended to provide a sovereign European control stack for collaborative combat aircraft, with AI-supported autonomy enabling coordinated behavior across formations of crewed and uncrewed systems. The distributed MindShare software is designed to manage mission execution, sensor fusion, and task allocation in contested environments.
To enable the Eurofighter Typhoon to act as a command aircraft, Airbus and Rafael are upgrading the Litening 5 advanced targeting pod with enhanced connectivity features. Together with updates to Eurofighter avionics, the enhancements are intended to improve cross-platform data sharing and increase combat effectiveness.
Platform specifications and roles
The Kratos Valkyrie has a length of 9.1 meters, a wingspan of 8.2 meters, and a range of more than 5,000 kilometers. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of about three tons and can operate at altitudes up to 45,000 feet. The platform first flew in the United States in 2019, and additional aircraft have flown regularly since then. The Airbus-configured variant is scheduled for its first flight in 2026.
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Designed for both autonomous operation and control by a Eurofighter, the UCCA is intended to carry out high-risk missions that would otherwise endanger pilots. Airbus and Kratos say the system will support both kinetic and non-kinetic roles, with initial efforts focused on delivering a defined operational capability for the German Air Force.
