Airbus Defence & Space and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions have joined up to pitch an operational collaborative combat aircraft for use by the German air force before the end of this decade.

Announced on 16 July, the partnering agreement is based on the use of US airframer Kratos’s XQ-58A Valkyrie, “which will be equipped with an Airbus-made mission system”.

The combination is to be “combat ready for the German air force by 2029”, Airbus’s defence unit says.

By using a “platform-agnostic system architecture”, Airbus says its mission equipment “is designed to integrate seamlessly into the Valkyrie and other existing and future platforms in the growing ecosystem of crewed and uncrewed platforms”.

“Our customers have expressed an urgent demand for both attritable and non-attritable collaborative combat aircraft,” says Airbus Defence & Space chief executive Mike Schoellhorn. “The collaboration of Kratos and Airbus, based on an existing and proven UAS platform and featuring a sovereign multi-platform mission system, will deliver crucial capabilities for our warfighters in Europe before the end of the decade.

“This partnership will help to accelerate Europe’s ability to defend itself while fostering NATO’s transatlantic ties,” Schoellhorn adds.

“Based on Valkyrie’s proven flight capability, first demonstrated in 2019, and the many mission systems, autonomy systems, and mission scenarios tested with the system over time, we’re excited about our partnership with Airbus, which will result again in a first to market Valkyrie variant, now ‘tuned’ for the European mission,” says Kratos chief executive Eric DeMarco.

With a maximum take-off weight of 3,000kg (6,610lb), the Valkyrie has been the subject of testing by the US Air Force and US Marine Corps, including demonstrating collaborative flight with manned fighters. It is currently available as a rail-launched system, although Kratos is also working on a version equipped with a landing gear.