Uncrewed Aerial Systems

Airbus UAS: Capabilities for every mission

Airbus develops, supports, and operates cutting-edge Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) technology, meeting global military, government, and commercial needs.

Leveraging decades of flight expertise and a decade supporting armed forces, Airbus offers proven military expertise to civil and institutional customers.

Our UAS provide essential capabilities for diverse missions. For Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), they offer real-time monitoring with high-resolution sensors. Eurodrone provides multi-mission ISR; Flexrotor, long-endurance ISR for naval and expeditionary forces; and our stratospheric Zephyr, persistent ISR and vital connectivity for disaster management.

In combat missions, our systems enhance air superiority through automatic targeting. For naval operations, Airbus drones like the tactical VSR700 and SIRTAP improve maritime awareness and threat detection. To enhance teaming capabilities between drones and helicopters, Airbus has created HTeaming, a modular crewed-uncrewed teaming solution, empowering helicopter crews with full control over UAS in flight.

In addition, Airbus Mindshare was developed to enable mission autonomy by a group of crewed or uncrewed systems. This solution is a critical enabler for Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft, to be deployed as force multipliers alongside fighter jets, and for scaling uncrewed missions while relieving crew burden.

Our products also support air mobility and logistics, delivering vital supplies to challenging locations. Furthermore, Airbus UAS facilitate realistic, cost-effective training for air defence and air combat.

Products

Technologies, systems and autonomy enablers

Support and services

Advancing air power with uncrewed aerial systems

Mission-focused UAS

Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance

Airbus UAS provide real-time intelligence, surveillance, and threat detection using high-resolution sensors. Whether on land or at sea, they support missions across all domains.

Combat and training

Airbus UAS contribute to air superiority through automatic target acquisition and adaptable payloads. They also enhance air defence training by facilitating tactical exercises featuring realistic threat simulations.

Air mobility and logistics

Airbus UAS deliver vital supplies and aid to disaster areas and conflict zones, providing rapid and reliable support where traditional transport is inadequate.

The VSR700 lands itself on the deck of a French frigate

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Airbus' solutions and technologies are vital for enabling multi-domain operations from an air perspective, seamlessly integrating UAS.

A rich heritage of UAS experience

Innovations, concepts and demonstrators

Airbus has decades of experience in unmanned systems through concept studies and technology demonstrators such as Talarion, EuroHawk, Quadcruiser, ATLANTE and the stealth demonstrators LOUT and SAGITTA.

In the beginning…

Airbus has been involved in UAS since 1966 with the Dornier Kiebitz. The KZO, developed by STN ATLAS Elektronik and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, now Airbus Defence and Space Airborne Solutions, first flew in 1998 and has been in service with the German Army since 2004.

Europe’s first UCAV demonstrator

The Barracuda was Europe's first Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator and is proof that even 20 years ago Airbus had a concrete vision for the future of air power. The skills and experience gained are now being applied to the Remote Carriers for Manned-Unmanned Teaming and the Eurodrone.