Airbus tests Valkyrie drone in Europe, plans 2029 combat readiness

By Sabine Siebold BERLIN, Oct 12 (Reuters) Airbus has carried out the first test flight in Europe of a US-built drone that it hopes to team with Eurofighter jets, but without yet incorporating its European mission system, the CEO of its defence division ​said. The limited European debut for the Valkyrie drone developed by US-based Kratos Defense aims ‌to show that regulatory barriers that hampered past efforts to integrate military drones into Europe s complex airspace can be overcome. In 2025, Airbus and Kratos announced a partnership to supply the German Air Force by 2029 with combat drones capable of flying autonomously, being remotely piloted or teaming up with Eurofighters. The drone will be based on Kratos rail-launched ‌uncrewed ​collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) Valkyrie, with a range exceeding 5,000 km (3,107 miles), ⁠and equipped with Airbus mission system. For ⁠now, it s a major step in terms of the clearances required to make this project happen, Airbus Defence and