Updated
Updated · Aviation Week · Jun 10
Airbus Unveils 6-Ton U760 Ravenstorm for 2032 Delivery as Europe Seeks Sovereign Combat Drones
Updated
Updated · Aviation Week · Jun 10

Airbus Unveils 6-Ton U760 Ravenstorm for 2032 Delivery as Europe Seeks Sovereign Combat Drones

2 articles · Updated · Aviation Week · Jun 10

Summary

  • Airbus used the ILA Berlin Air Show to reveal the U760 Ravenstorm, an in-house collaborative combat aircraft concept it says could be delivered by 2032.
  • The 6-metric-ton drone is designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground and electronic-warfare missions, with more than 500 kg of payload and high-subsonic cruise speed.
  • Airbus is pitching Ravenstorm as a "European sovereign solution"—larger than its U740 Valkyrie effort with Kratos and aimed at governments trying to cut dependence on foreign defense suppliers.
  • That Kratos-linked U740 program is targeting flight tests this year and European requirements from 2029, while Ravenstorm would use Airbus' MARS mission system and AI-supported Mindshare software.
  • The reveal puts Airbus more directly into Europe's emerging CCA contest against Boeing, General Atomics, Helsing and Rheinmetall.

Insights

Will Airbus's Ravenstorm drone be an affordable force multiplier or another costly weapon system for Europe's limited budgets?
How will pilots manage swarms of AI drones in combat without losing control over life-or-death decisions?