European U740 Variant Of The XQ-58A Valkyrie Has Flown
Germany’s push for an uncrewed combat aircraft by 2029 now has a contender flying in Europe. Airbus says its U740 Valkyrie, developed with Kratos, completed its first European flight at an unnamed Northern European site, meeting all test objectives, including a runway-independent rocket-assisted takeoff, maneuvers at speeds up to Mach 0.8, and in-flight mission changes. According to Airbus, the U740 has an internal weapons bay, a maximum takeoff weight of about 3 tonnes (6,600 lb), and a range of more than 5,000 km (3,100 mi). Airbus and Kratos aim to offer a combat-ready collaborative combat aircraft to the German Air Force and other European forces by 2029.
The Read: What Airbus is really selling is the brain, and it hasn’t flown yet. Its MARS mission system, due in later tests, is pitched as giving European operators control of the software, mission applications, data, and hardware, with AI-driven autonomy coordinating groups of aircraft while a human stays on the loop for critical decisions. That’s a fast route to European CCA mass: start from a flying airframe and make sovereignty the software layer. The competition is crowded. Rheinmetall and Boeing are pitching the MQ-28 Ghost Bat for Germany, General Atomics is adapting the YFQ-42A, and Helsing is developing its own CA-1 Europa.
\\ TWZ
Airbus U740 Valkyrie launches from a rocket-assisted rail system during its first flight in Europe \\ Source: Airbus Defence and Space
\\ Signal Watch
Lockheed unveils PAC-3 Edge, its next-gen Patriot interceptor \\ Breaking Defense
Lockheed Martin has unveiled PAC-3 Edge, its candidate to succeed the PAC-3 MSE as the Patriot system’s main interceptor, and says it is one of two companies the Army has selected to advance in its Future Interceptor program. The design keeps the combat-proven MSE as its base but adds a new seeker from Lockheed’s Strigo center, a three-pulse solid rocket motor from Northrop Grumman that can deliver thrust at different points in flight, and upgraded flight controls, which Lockheed says will extend range and altitude against advanced missiles and hypersonic threats. It is designed to fire from existing launchers, including the M903, containerized launchers, and HIMARS Flex, and will be built on the current PAC-3 line in Camden, Arkansas. Testing begins in 2027, with first deployment targeted for 2031.
Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 Edge interceptor \\ Source: Lockheed Martin
\\ Quick Links
Land & Aviation
France accelerates next-generation fighter programme towards full-scale development \\ Defence Industry Europe
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Anduril unveils Steelfin surface-to-air interceptor family \\ Army Technology
U.S. Army conducts live-fire trials of M1E3 Abrams tank and XM30 infantry fighting vehicle prototypes for future armored forces \\ Defence Industry Europe
Barrett to build Northrop’s 25mm smart grenade launcher \\ Defence Blog
US Firms Have a Fold-Down Fix for a US Military Logistics Headache \\ NextGen Defense
What Europe’s military air fleets will look like in 30 year (video) \\ Breaking Defense
Drones & Counter-Drone
Ideal Aerosmith debuts ‘Troublemaker’ for one-way attack \\ Breaking Defense
Sikorsky unveils four-drone deployment kit in a shipping container \\ AeroTime
US firm demonstrates coordinated flight of jet-powered attack drones \\ AeroTime
Rheinmetall and Praetorian build containerised drone defence prototype in 12 months \\ Defence Industry Europe
AEVEX develops Specter jet-powered attack platform with swappable payloads and Divergent technology to support production at scale \\ Defence Industry Europe
Ukrainian FPV Strike Drone Boosts Range By Dropping Used Batteries \\ Forbes
Drones Are Creating New Opportunities For The U.S. Army To Deceive Its Enemies \\ TWZ
Space, Naval & Strategy
Cartlidge announces Britannia Shield missile defence plan \\ UKDJ
European Defence Agency says 15 EU countries agree military space data mechanism worth around €50 million with capability targeted for 2029 \\ Defence Industry Europe
EU deepens collective space security with mutual defense pact \\ Breaking Defense
“Historically it’s about a logistics train where you’re trying to move a really big airframe and move a lot of stuff, and that takes time, and it takes Airmen, and it takes support, and that’s a really important mission. Sometimes you need to move a lot less really, really quickly, without standing up a mission, without 24 hours’ notice, without pulling folks together.”
\\ Beyond the Beam
Sea sponges serve as inspiration for strong, lightweight metamaterials \\ New Atlas
Swiss weather intelligence firm Meteomatics unveils new high-altitude drone \\ AeroTime
Light-driven method uses hydrogen atoms to transform chemicals without metals \\ Interesting Engineering
Anduril’s modular surface-to-air missiles family Steelfin \\ Source: Anduril Industries
\\ Opportunity Intel
DoD announces $350 million in quantum computing initiatives \\ Military Aerospace
U.S. Army seeks drone defense for its lightest units \\ Defence Blog
7th Air Force seeks new counter-drone capabilities for point defense modernization in South Korea \\ DefenseScoop
Royal Marines seek new ship boarding training facility \\ UKDJ
Army to launch Project Gatekeeper, an effort to make it easier for vendors to onboard software \\ DefenseScoop
Ministry hunts next defence unicorn with bigger contracts \\ UKDJ
Latvia builds a safe space for defence innovators \\ UKDJ
European defence tech funding hits record levels \\ UKDJ
Defence Programs Open New Doors for Canadian Companies \\ Canadian Defence Review
Britain sets out offensive and defensive space operations with £880 million committed to military intelligence and space control \\ Defence Industry Europe
European Defence Fund draws record 612 proposals for €1 billion funding round, targeting missile defence, tanks and naval systems \\ Defence Industry Europe
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