Airbus and Kratos complete first European flight of U740‑Valkyrie unmanned combat aircraft

Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions flew the U740‑Valkyrie for the first time in Europe on 12 October 2026 from a test facility in Northern Europe.

The aircraft performed runway‑independent rocket‑assisted take‑off, flew at speeds up to Mach 0.8, and demonstrated in‑flight mission adjustments, while its MARS mission system used AI‑enhanced software to conduct autonomous missions with a human in the loop; Airbus aims to deliver a combat‑ready version by 2029.