Airbus and Kratos fly Valkyrie drone in Europe for the first time

Airbus and Kratos announced the first flight in Europe of the XQ-58 Valkyrie uncrewed aircraft, which Airbus calls the U740 Valkyrie. Images indicate the test took place at an unspecified facility in Northern Europe on Sept. 29, 2026.

Airbus said the flight met all objectives. The company listed a runway-independent rocket-assisted take-off, manoeuvres at various altitudes and speeds up to Mach 0.8, and in-flight mission adjustments. According to Airbus, the milestone confirms the program is on track to deliver a combat-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2029.

Kratos builds the airframe, paired with Airbus' MARS mission system, which Airbus describes as the uncrewed aircraft's European brain. Airbus said MARS gives control over software, mission applications, data and system hardware, allowing German and European armed forces to operate the Valkyrie with full operational sovereignty. Learnings from the flight will feed subsequent tests with the MARS mission system, Airbus states.

Airbus also said the Valkyrie is intended to support crewed combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter by extending range, firepower and survivability. The design allows rail launch as well as conventional runway-based operations, which Airbus said provides operational resilience.