Airbus Tests Bird of Prey Drone Against Kamikaze Threats

Airbus Defence and Space has successfully conducted the inaugural demonstration flight of its "Bird of Prey" uncrewed interceptor, an autonomous system designed to neutralize one-way attack (kamikaze) drones. During the exercise, held at a military training facility in northern Germany, the interceptor identified and engaged a target using the Mark I air-to-air missile, a new class of low-cost munitions developed by Frankenburg Technologies.

The demonstration comes amid an industry-wide shift toward cost-effective solutions for asymmetric warfare. The flight test occurred only nine months after the project’s inception, showcasing an accelerated development timeline for the counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS).

"Against the current geopolitical and military backdrop, defending against kamikaze drones is a tactical priority that urgently needs to be tackled,” says Mike Schoellhorn, CEO, Airbus Defence and Space. “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 Bird of Prey prototype is derived from the Airbus Do-DT25 drone platform. The aircraft features a wingspan of 2.5 m, a total length of 3.1 m, and a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 160 kg. During the recent test flight, the system operated autonomously to search for, detect, and classify a medium-sized kamikaze drone before initiating an engagement.

While the demonstration prototype was outfitted with four missiles, Airbus confirmed that the final operational version is engineered to carry up to eight units. This payload capacity is intended to allow the reusable interceptor to neutralize multiple threats during a single mission sortie, lowering the aggregate "cost per kill."

The interceptor utilizes the Mark I missile, which Frankenburg Technologies describes as the lightest guided interceptor developed to date. Each missile weighs less than 2 kg and measures 65 cm in length. The high-subsonic, fire-and-forget weapons have an effective engagement range of up to 1.5 km and utilize a fragmentation warhead designed for proximity neutralization of enemy aerial targets.

Strategic Integration and Market Positioning 

A central component of the Bird of Prey’s value proposition is its compatibility with existing defense infrastructure. The system is designed to integrate into NATO’s integrated air defense architecture through Airbus’ Integrated Battle Management System (IBMS).

"The integration of Bird of Prey into Airbus’ air defence battle management suite IBMS acts as a force multiplier," says Schoellhorn.

Kusti Salm, CEO, Frankenburg Technologies, emphasized the economic implications of the new system for modern defense budgets. "This is a defining step for modern air defence,” says 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”.

Future Operations The collaboration between the European aerospace giant and the defense-tech start-up is scheduled to move into a high-lethality testing phase. Both companies have announced plans to conduct further flight tests involving live warheads throughout 2026. These upcoming demonstrations are intended to finalize the operationalization of the system and present its full capabilities to potential international customers seeking mobile, layered air and missile defense solutions.