Airbus Defence and Space has partnered with U.S.-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to adapt the proven XQ-58A Valkyrie drone into a combat-ready uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for the German Air Force by the end of the decade.
The joint effort, announced this week, leverages Kratos’ existing XQ-58A Valkyrie platform—a rail-launched, low-observable uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (UCCA)—and integrates it with a new sovereign mission system developed by Airbus. The result will be a European-configured variant of the Valkyrie capable of delivering both kinetic and non-kinetic effects in highly contested environments.
Combat-Ready by 2029
With a maximum takeoff weight of three tons, a range of 3,000 miles, and a ceiling of 45,000 feet, the Valkyrie has already demonstrated its utility in U.S. testing since 2019. Under the new partnership, Airbus will supply a platform-agnostic mission system that can operate across a spectrum of current and future crewed and uncrewed platforms.
“In the given disruptive geopolitical context, our customers have expressed an urgent demand for both attritable and non-attritable Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “The collaboration of Kratos and Airbus… will deliver crucial capabilities for our warfighters in Europe before the end of the decade.”
The integrated system is expected to support a variety of missions in manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations, where the drone will operate alongside crewed fighter aircraft. Its modular design will also enable future upgrades to autonomy and payload configurations.
A Transatlantic Partnership for NATO Readiness
This project is positioned as a key capability boost for NATO forces in Europe, enhancing operational flexibility, resilience, and response time in potential conflict zones. According to Schoellhorn, the partnership reinforces transatlantic defense ties while accelerating Europe’s self-defense capabilities.
Eric DeMarco, CEO of Kratos, emphasized the Valkyrie’s affordability and operational maturity. “We have designed the Valkyrie system to be an affordable and formidable CCA… Based on Valkyrie’s proven flight capability… we’re excited about our partnership with Airbus, which will result again in a first-to-market Valkyrie variant, now ‘tuned’ for the European mission.”
The Europeanized Valkyrie is expected to support Germany’s broader push toward advanced, modular airpower capabilities as it modernizes its defense forces under NATO commitments. First operational deliveries are targeted by 2029.
Javeria Sajid is an Aerospace Engineering student from NUST with a background in technology and a sharp focus on the global political landscape and defence innovation. She writes to make complex defence technologies understandable, and aspires to bridge journalism, policy, and engineering in her work.
