Airbus to Equip Germany’s Eurofighter Jet with Collaborative Combat Aircraft from U.S’ Kratos

Airbus is working on offering the German Air Force an Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) to work under command of the Eurofighter jet by 2029. 

The company is currently preparing the first two Valkyries UCCA it acquired from its US partner Kratos which are scheduled to fly later this year. The two companies are bringing their respective capabilities to integrate, missionise, and deliver the Airbus UCCA system.

Airbus and Kratos are initially focusing on delivering credible combat air power to the German Air Force on time and on target.

Eurofighter jet as a “Command Aircraft” to control the Valkyries UCCA

To enable the Eurofighter to act as a “command aircraft” with cross-platform connectivity performance, Airbus and Israeli firm, Rafael are enhancing the Litening 5 Advanced Targeting Pod, already contracted for the Eurofighter fleet, with a connectivity capability. Along with minor updates to the Eurofighter’s avionics, these enhancements will significantly increase the aircraft’s lethality in combat.

Airbus is currently equipping the UCCAs with its Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) system which also contains an AI-supported software brain called MindShare. This not only replaces the pilot, but is also capable of coordinating with many manned and uncrewed platforms.

Said Marco Gumbrecht, Head of Key Account Germany at Airbus Defence and Space. “Our objective is to deliver credible combat capability, 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, “By taking the flight-proven and in-production Valkyrie and integrating the Airbus MARS mission system, the Airbus-missionised Valkyrie UCCA  becomes a multi-mission, affordable system that can operate independently, in teams of UAS, or in Manned-Unmanned-Teaming operations.”

Key technical  data and areas of operation

The Kratos Valkyrie has a length of 9.1 m, a wingspan of 8.2 m, and a range of over 5,000 kilometres. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is around three tons. It can fly at an altitude of up to 45,000 feet. The maiden flight of the Valkyrie already took place in the USA in 2019; and additional aircraft have been flying regularly since that time. The maiden flight of the Airbus variant is scheduled for 2026.

Fully autonomous or commanded by a Eurofighter, the Valkyrie will be able to take on sensitive mission tasks that would pose too great a danger to the pilot. The UCCA can service kinetic and non-kinetic mission sets in several roles.