Airbus, Kratos team to pitch German Air Force drone wingmen

WASHINGTON — European conglomerate Airbus and American defense manufacturer Kratos announced today that they are teaming up to pitch drone wingmen to the German Air Force, which the partnership plans to have “combat ready” by 2029. 

The arrangement would entail Kratos offering its existing XQ-58A Valkyrie drone with mission systems provided by Airbus tailored to German needs. The rail-launched Valkyrie, which has been in development for several years and has been tested by the US military, can travel 3,000 miles at an altitude of up to 45,000 feet, according to a press release announcing the partnership.

“In the given disruptive geopolitical context, our customers have expressed an urgent demand for both attritable and non-attritable Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The collaboration of Kratos and Airbus, based on an existing and proven UAS platform and featuring a sovereign multi-platform mission system, will deliver crucial capabilities for our warfighters in Europe before the end of the decade,” Airbus Defence and Space CEO Mike Schoellhorn said in the release.

“We have designed the Valkyrie system to be an affordable and formidable CCA paired in collaborative fashion with manned aircraft, a team of uncrewed aircraft, or a mix of both. Based on Valkyrie’s proven flight capability, first demonstrated in 2019, and the many mission systems, autonomy systems, and mission scenarios tested with the system over time, 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,” Kratos CEO Eric DeMarco added.

The partnership is something of a proactive endeavor. While the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, is planning to field drone wingmen that will pair with manned fighters through the Electronic Combat Wingman program, a spokesperson for Airbus said the Euro-focused XQ-58A is not being pitched for that effort.

Instead, by using a “proven platform” in the Valkyrie, paired with mission systems developed by Airbus, the spokesperson said the team is “offer[ing] our German customer something we believe they have a requirement for in the coming years.” Asked about the 2029 target, the spokesperson said the date reflects “a key year where Europe needs to be ready to defend itself.” 

A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this report.

The partnership also follows another Airbus effort to pitch drone wingmen to the Luftwaffe. Last year, the planemaker unveiled its “Wingman” platform in partnership with the German firm Helsing, and a press release associated with the announcement said the drone would fly alongside manned aircraft like the Eurofighter and be ready for the Luftwaffe in the 2030s.

The Airbus spokesperson said the Wingman platform is for a heavier weight class compared to the Valkyrie. (The Valykrie has a maximum takeoff weight of three tons, according to the press release announcing the partnership.) 

On the US side, although Kratos was not successful in a first round for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the company has expressed interest in bidding for future tranches. And the firm’s Valkyrie continues to evolve: In April, Kratos revealed the first renderings of an XQ-58A with landing gear, potentially offering the platform more versatility beyond its initial, runway-independent design.

Tim Martin contributed to this report.