Airbus conducts first European test flight of Valkyrie combat drone

Airbus carried out the first test flight in Europe of the US‑built Valkyrie drone on September 29, flying it up to Mach 0.8 at various flight altitudes and attitudes.

The drone has a range exceeding 5,000 km and the next test flight in the first quarter of 2027 will include Airbus' MARS Mission System, with a flight teamed with a Eurofighter jet scheduled later in 2027; Airbus estimates each unit costs about €20 million and the German Air Force may need around 500 aircraft, while it evaluates whether the drone will be used for air‑to‑air combat, air‑to‑ground strikes or electronic warfare.