Airbus Defence and Space has announced that its prototype drone-intercepting Bird-of-Prey reusable uncrewed air vehicle (UAV) had successfully intercepted and engaged a medium-sized one-way attack UAV (“kamikaze drone”) during its first demonstration flight. The demonstration took place in a military training area in northern Germany. The Bird-of-Prey used startup technology partner Frankenburg Technologies’ Mark I missiles against the kamikaze drone.

“Against the current geopolitical and military backdrop, defending against kamikaze drones is a tactical priority that urgently needs to be tackled,” highlighted Airbus Defence and Space CEO Mike Schoellhorn. “With our Bird-of-Prey and Frankenburg’s affordable Mark I missiles, we are providing armed forces with an effective, cost-efficient interceptor, filling a crucial capability gap in today’s asymmetric conflict theatres. The integration of [the] Bird-of-Prey into Airbus’ air defence battle management suite IBMS [Integrated Battle Management System] acts as a force multiplier.”

The demonstration saw the Bird-of-Prey successfully and autonomously search for, detect and classify the target drone. Having identified the target, the interceptor engaged the kamikaze drone with its missiles.

“This is a defining step for modern air defence,” affirmed Frankenburg Technologies CEO Kusti Salm. “Together with Airbus, it marks the first integration of a new class of low-cost, mass-manufacturable interceptor missiles onto a drone, creating a new cost curve for air defence and enabling defence against mass aerial threats at a fundamentally different scale.”

The Bird-of-Prey is based on a modified Airbus Do-DT25 target drone. The UAV is 3.1 m long, with a wingspan of 2.5 m, and has a maximum take-off weight of 160 kg. The prototype is armed with four Mark I missiles, but the operational model will be able to carry up to eight of them. The aircraft is designed to operate seamlessly with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s integrated air defence architecture, through established command and control systems, centred on Airbus’ IBMS.

Frankenburg Technologies Mark I missiles are high subsonic speed, fire-and-forget, weapons. Each is 65 cm in length and weighs less than 2 kg, and has an engagement range of up to 1.5 km. The missile is armed with a fragmentation warhead designed to neutralise targets in close proximity.

The project was started just nine months ago. Further test and demonstration flights, including use of live warheads, will take place this year, to operationalise the system.