Europe’s Airbus and U.S. Kratos Partner for German Drone Deployment
Transatlantic Team-Up Brings High-Tech Valkyrie Drones to Germany’s Skies

European aerospace titan Airbus has teamed up with U.S. innovator Kratos Defense and Security Solutions to deliver state-of-the-art combat drones to the German Air Force. Announced on July 16, 2025, this transatlantic partnership is all about equipping Germany with the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie, a sleek, rail-launched uncrewed combat aircraft, integrated with Airbus’s top-tier mission system. With a target of combat readiness by 2029, this collaboration is a bold step toward modernizing Europe’s defense capabilities while giving a sly nod to the future of warfare.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie is no ordinary drone. This low-observable, autonomous beast boasts a 3,000-mile range, a 45,000-foot ceiling, and a three-ton maximum take-off weight. It’s designed to play nice with fighter jets, delivering both kinetic and non-kinetic effects—think precision strikes and electronic wizardry. Airbus’s mission system adds the brains to Kratos’s brawn, creating a platform that’s as smart as it is formidable. Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, didn’t mince words, emphasizing the partnership’s role in meeting the growing demand for advanced, cost-effective combat aircraft. Meanwhile, Kratos CEO Eric DeMarco called the Valkyrie “affordable yet fearsome,” a combo that’s music to any defense planner’s ears.
