Helsing has revealed the CA-1 Europa, an autonomous uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed to deliver “intelligent mass” in future air combat, according to the company.
The full-scale design study of the CA-1 Europa was shown at Helsing’s Grob Aircraft subsidiary in Germany. The company stated that the production version is expected to be operational within four years and is being developed with European aerospace partners.
The platform is described as a three-to-five-ton class jet capable of high subsonic speeds and highly autonomous operations. Helsing said it combines a scalable, mass-produceable airframe with advanced software that integrates sensors, effectors and self-protection systems. It is intended to perform missions independently or as part of a swarm.
Helsing highlighted its “Centaur” AI autonomy stack as central to the CA-1 Europa. The company previously demonstrated Centaur with Saab on the Gripen fighter. The new aircraft will be natively controllable by this system, with Helsing also delivering a command-and-control system for operators to plan and monitor autonomous missions.
The company stated that the CA-1 Europa is suitable for a variety of mission types, including deep precision strike. Helsing’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO Torsten Reil said: “Uncrewed fighter jets will become a key capability for establishing air dominance and keeping us safe. Europe cannot afford to fall behind in this category or become dependent on third parties. With CA-1 Europa, we will make sure this does not happen.”
Helsing’s Senior Director Air Domain, Stephanie Lingemann, said: “The future of combat air is in attritable systems, with software and intelligence as a key enabling technology. As a consequence, the CA-1 Europa has autonomy at its core.”
Helsing’s UK Managing Director, Ned Baker, added that the platform could enhance British capability: “With Grob Aircraft, we already supply essential training aircraft to the Royal Air Force. CA-1 Europa will offer the RAF unprecedented combat air capability – an autonomous collaborative platform that can undertake a number of different missions to protect the UK without putting British pilots in harm’s way.”
The company add that the CA-1 Europa is being developed with a resilient European supply chain to reinforce strategic autonomy. Helsing argued that rising costs and shrinking fighter fleets necessitate a shift to AI-enabled UCAVs, which are less expensive to produce and maintain and remove risk to pilots in high-threat environments.
Helsing said the design study phase has been completed, with development and testing underway at Grob Aircraft.
Another day another ucav/drone nit in actual service.
The real money is in render creation lol
When HMG finally orders things like this, I will believe the hype.
Till then, I guess we are stuck with model aeroplanes and things like Banshee. I can still recall the Jindivik target Drones that flew from RAE Aberporth and RAE Llanbedr.
Are there actually any Drones along these lines in Ukraine ? I know there are crude Iranian craft and obviously the suicide drones that we all see on Social Media and video sites and I remember those Bayraktar drones early in the fight but are there actually any high end Drones ?
I know. Let’s get a research project going. We haven’t had a new one for at least a fortnight..
More MIC bluster. Deliver something that works, now, not in ten years time. We need mass, cheap cheerful mass that goes bang. Do they pay any attention to what is happening elsewhere?
Helsing, Van-Helsing… wasn’t he something to do with Dracula?
Terminators live!