On March 30, in a demonstration in northern Germany, Airbus's newly developed "Bird of Prey" jet interceptor drone performed its first flight mission, using a Frankenberg Mark I micro missile to successfully shoot down a medium-sized "suicide" drone, demonstrating its actual combat potential in anti-drone operations.
This "Falcon" drone is based on a modified Airbus Do-DT25 target drone platform. It is not related to the hybrid electric passenger aircraft concept of the same name proposed by Airbus earlier, but has been redesigned for completely different combat purposes. The new aircraft is jet-powered, with a length of about 3 meters, a wingspan of about 2 meters, a maximum take-off weight of 160 kilograms, and a top speed of 300 knots (about 345 miles per hour/555 kilometers per hour). The aircraft body can carry up to eight Mark I "fire and forget" missiles developed by Estonian start-up Frankenberg Technologies. The goal is to effectively intercept incoming drones at a cost far lower than traditional air defense missile systems.
In this demonstration, the "Falcon" slid out from the ground launcher and took off. After taking off, it automatically performed a search mission. It was able to autonomously complete the search, detection and classification of simulated enemy drone targets. Finally, a human operator issued a weapon release command to complete the interception of live ammunition. According to Airbus, the Mark I is one of the smallest interceptor missiles currently available, with a total length of about 65 centimeters and a weight of 2 kilograms (including the fragmentation warhead). It has high-end subsonic flight performance and an effective range of about 1.5 kilometers. It is specifically designed to target medium-sized suicide drone threats that have become increasingly common in conflicts in recent years.
During the demonstration, the "Falcon" system was also seamlessly connected to the NATO integrated air defense system, and its command and control were completed through the Airbus Integrated Battlefield Management System (IBMS) so that it could be used as a mobile "anti-drone firepower" force in the existing air situation command network. Airbus emphasized that it only took 9 months from the project establishment to the completion of this public demonstration. This progress reflects the urgent needs of all parties in the field of new drones and anti-drone technology; it plans to continue to carry out multiple rounds of test flights in 2026 to promote the system towards full combat capability.
Mike Schellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space, said that under the current geopolitical and military situation, dealing with the threat of "suicide" drones has become an urgent tactical priority that needs to be addressed. He pointed out that through the combination of the "Falcon" UAV and Frankenberg's relatively low-priced Mark I missile, the military will obtain a UAV interception method with both effectiveness and cost advantages, which is expected to fill the key capability gaps in today's asymmetric conflict battlefields. The integration of the "Falcon" into the IBMS air defense combat management system will also provide a "multiplier" effect for existing air defense forces.
