Airbus and Kratos complete first European flight of U740 Valkyrie drone

On 12 October, Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions carried out the first European flight of the U740 Valkyrie drone, testing rocket‑assisted takeoff, altitude and speed maneuvers up to Mach 0.8, and in‑flight mission changes.

The flight met the companies’ objectives and initiates a new test phase that will incorporate the Multi‑platform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) mission system, which is designed to let Germany and other European nations retain control over the aircraft’s software, data and mission applications; the program targets an operational combat‑capable configuration by 2029.