Airbus completes first European test flight of US Valkyrie drone

Airbus carried out its first European test flight of the U.S. Valkyrie drone on 29 September, reaching a speed of Mach 0.8.

The flight was reported as successful and demonstrated that European regulatory requirements can be met; Airbus plans to install its European mission system MARS on the drone before the next test flight in the first quarter of 2027, with a joint flight with the Eurofighter later that year and a goal of delivering drones to the German Air Force by 2029. The drone is estimated to cost around 20 million euros each, with Germany’s potential need estimated at about 500 units, and the German Air Force will specify its requirements during the first half of 2027.