Airbus unveils U760 Ravenstorm drone wingman in Berlin

Airbus has pulled the wraps off its new U760 Ravenstorm collaborative combat drone at the ILA Berlin 2026 air show, presenting a stealthy loyal wingman concept designed to fly alongside Europe’s front-line air superiority fighters in high-threat missions.

Full-scale debut of a next-generation wingman

The U760 Ravenstorm appeared in Berlin as a full-scale mockup, giving the public its first detailed look at what Airbus describes as the most advanced member of its emerging family of uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft. The sleek, diamond-shaped design reflects a focus on low observability, long reach and flexibility across multiple mission types rather than a single specialist role.

Publicly available information from the show indicates that Ravenstorm measures around 13 meters in length with a wingspan of about 10 meters, placing it in a similar size class to some light crewed fighters. The concept’s maximum take-off weight is reported at roughly six tons, with payload capacity of more than 500 kilograms, enough to carry a mix of air-to-air missiles, precision-guided munitions and electronic warfare equipment.

Airbus materials presented at ILA 2026 frame Ravenstorm as a step beyond earlier Wingman studies, moving from a generic escort drone idea to a more concrete air vehicle designed for integration into future combat networks. The company projects availability in the early 2030s, positioning the platform to arrive ahead of, and then complement, more complex next-generation fighter programs.

The launch in Berlin also introduces Ravenstorm under a new “U” designation that Airbus is now applying across its uncrewed portfolio. The U-prefix, used in names such as U760 Ravenstorm and U145 autonomous cargo rotorcraft, is intended to mirror the “A” and “H” designations that identify the group’s fixed-wing and helicopter families.

Designed to team with Eurofighter and future air superiority jets

The U760 Ravenstorm is conceived as a loyal wingman that will fly in concert with crewed fighters like the Eurofighter Typhoon and potential future air superiority aircraft. In this teaming model, a human pilot retains overall command while delegating high-risk or data-intensive tasks to the drone, which uses onboard autonomy to execute assigned roles within defined rules.

According to published coverage from the Berlin show, Ravenstorm is optimized for air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strike and electronic warfare missions. In a typical scenario, the drone could range ahead of a fighter formation to extend sensor coverage, probe enemy air defenses or act as a decoy, allowing the crewed jet to remain at safer standoff distances while maintaining control of the engagement.

The aircraft is expected to operate as part of future digital combat architectures, including datalinked formations of crewed and uncrewed aircraft and multi-domain command-and-control networks. Reports indicate that Airbus is designing the platform to plug into these systems from the outset, reflecting an industry-wide shift away from standalone aircraft and toward connected “systems of systems.”

This approach aligns with broader European efforts to develop manned-unmanned teaming concepts that can be fielded before ambitious sixth-generation fighter projects such as the Future Combat Air System reach full maturity. For air forces facing tight budgets and growing threat environments, collaborative drones like Ravenstorm are being promoted as a quicker, potentially more affordable way to boost combat mass and resilience.

Capabilities span strike, air defense and electronic warfare

Materials released around the debut describe Ravenstorm as a multi-role platform capable of switching between offensive and defensive tasks depending on mission needs. In the air-to-surface arena, the drone is designed to carry precision-guided weapons for strikes against high-value targets, including those protected by dense air defenses, where the loss of an uncrewed system is more acceptable than that of a crewed jet.

For air-to-air missions, the concept envisions Ravenstorm carrying medium and long-range missiles to reinforce the defensive and offensive punch of its crewed partners. By allowing a fighter formation to field more weapons without adding more pilots or full-sized aircraft, such drones could help counter numerically superior opponents or saturate advanced enemy defenses.

Electronic warfare is emerging as a central part of the design. Information released at ILA 2026 points to a role in jamming and deceiving enemy radars, supporting suppression of enemy air defenses and offensive counter-air tasks. By pushing powerful jammers closer to hostile emitters while keeping human pilots farther back, operators aim to complicate adversary targeting and improve the survivability of high-value crewed assets.

Autonomy will be key to managing these complex roles. While the drone is expected to remain under human command, it will need to make rapid, local decisions about navigation, threat avoidance and sensor management to be effective in contested airspace. This places Ravenstorm within a wider trend toward artificial intelligence-enabled collaborative combat aircraft that can act as both sensor and shooter.

Anchor of a broader uncrewed combat portfolio

The unveiling of Ravenstorm coincides with Airbus presenting what it describes in public statements as one of Europe’s most comprehensive portfolios of uncrewed aerial systems. Alongside the U760, the company is exhibiting platforms such as the U145 unmanned cargo helicopter, several light tactical drones and the Bird of Prey interceptor concept intended to counter hostile drone swarms.

Ravenstorm is also positioned within Airbus’s roadmap for Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft. In this framework, the U760 sits at the upper end of capability, while other projects, including the U740 Valkyrie being developed with Kratos for the German Air Force, are aimed at earlier operational timelines. Shared digital architectures and common subsystems are being promoted as a way to reduce costs and accelerate development across the range.

Reports from European defense outlets note that Airbus is emphasizing modularity in payloads and mission systems so that uncrewed platforms can be adapted for national requirements or evolving threats without fundamental redesigns. In practice, this could see the same airframe configured for roles as diverse as deep strike, electronic attack or high-end reconnaissance depending on operator demand.

By placing Ravenstorm at the center of its air combat display in Berlin, Airbus is signaling that collaborative drones are no longer just long-term studies but a core pillar of its strategy for future airpower. How quickly concepts like the U760 move from show-floor mockups to operational service will depend on funding decisions in Europe and the pace of technological progress in autonomy and secure networking.

Europe’s answer to global loyal wingman competition

The Ravenstorm debut unfolds against a backdrop of rapid investment in loyal wingman and collaborative combat aircraft worldwide. In the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, demonstrator programs have already flown advanced uncrewed companions for fifth and sixth-generation fighters, and some air forces have conducted early operational trials of AI-enabled wingmen.

Analysts following the Berlin show describe Ravenstorm as part of Europe’s effort to avoid falling behind in this emerging category. For countries that operate Eurofighter Typhoon or are considering future European fighters, an indigenous loyal wingman offers the prospect of tighter integration with existing fleets and more control over critical software and data than foreign off-the-shelf solutions might allow.

At the same time, the concept faces the usual hurdles of high-end defense projects: budget constraints, competing national programs and the technical challenge of achieving reliable, trusted autonomy in complex combat environments. Observers note that timelines pointing to early-2030s availability leave limited margin for delays if European operators want Ravenstorm to enter service in parallel with, rather than after, foreign competitors’ systems.

For now, the U760 Ravenstorm’s appearance on the ILA Berlin 2026 floor marks a visible statement of intent. The full-scale model, weapons layout and associated digital imagery are intended to show that Europe’s race to field a drone wingman for its air superiority jets is no longer theoretical, but moving into the concrete design and capability definition phase.