U950 Eurodrone

U950 Eurodrone is a twin-turboprop Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS) designed to deliver independent European operational capabilities. Engineered for extended operational missions, the platform provides advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), as well as area protection and humanitarian crisis management.
 

U950 Eurodrone is built on a four-nation collaborative agreement between Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Operating under the management of the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), Airbus Defence and Space serves as the industrial prime contractor, collaborating closely with major subcontractors including Leonardo and Dassault Aviation.
 

The development and manufacturing of U950 Eurodrone are distributed across the industrial facilities of the participating nations:

• System integration and final assembly:  U950 Eurodrone’s fuselages are integrated at the Airbus site in Getafe, Madrid, before being transferred to Germany for final assembly. The final assembly line (FAL) and the ground control station are located in Manching, Germany.
• Composite aerostructures and systems: Major sub-assemblies, composite structures and specialised mission equipment are produced across facilities in France, Italy and Spain.
• Flight testing: Ground evaluations and initial flight campaigns are conducted at dedicated flight test centres in Europe.

U950 Eurodrone is a foundational pillar of European strategic autonomy and sovereignty. By developing a 100% ITAR-free platform within Europe, participating nations ensure complete sovereign control over operation, maintenance, software integration and future technological upgrades. The programme secures high-tech industrial competencies and over 7,000 highly skilled jobs across the European supply chain.

U950 Eurodrone is engineered with a modular, open-architecture design to support multi-mission adaptability:

• Aircraft type: Twin-turboprop uncrewed system configured for high safety margins in unsegregated civilian airspace.
• Maximum Take-off Weight (MTOW): Approximately 11,000 kg.
• Payload capacity: Up to 2,300 kg of multi-sensor equipment, including electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) sensors, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and SIGINT systems.
• Flight endurance: Capable of continuous day-and-night operations exceeding 30 hours.

Unlike legacy military drones, U950 Eurodrone is engineered from inception to meet strict civilian airworthiness standards. Featuring twin-engine redundancy, advanced anti-icing systems and a certified Detect and Avoid (DAA) system, Eurodrone can operate seamlessly alongside commercial air traffic in non-segregated airspace without requiring special flight corridors.
 

U950 Eurodrone will act as a critical data node within multi-domain combat networks. Equipped with high-bandwidth satellite communications (SATCOM) and encrypted data links, the platform will enable real-time data sharing across land, sea and air assets. It will serve as an essential building block toward crewed-uncrewed teaming operations and future system-of-systems frameworks, such as Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS).