Airbus U.S. Space and Defense Adds New Line of Business in Drones

Airbus’ latest business venture is staffed by a plethora of U.S. military veterans, including several with Army and Air Force backgrounds.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 02:48 PM ET

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The high-flying Zephyr is Airbus’ flagship UAV, but the company is looking to develop new aircraft for the U.S. Department of Defense. [Courtesy: Airbus]

Key Takeaways:

Airbus U.S. Space and Defense has established a new business line focused on optimizing, scaling, and deploying military Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
This new unit, led by experienced industry and military drone professionals, builds on Airbus's success with advanced UAVs like the record-setting Zephyr stratospheric platform.
The initiative aims to provide trusted and affordable deep sensing and network extension capabilities, helping the DOD solve critical UAS challenges from surface to stratosphere.
This effort aligns with the DOD's "Replicator Initiative" to rapidly produce thousands of autonomous systems to outmatch adversaries and deter global threats.

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Airbus has plenty of experience developing groundbreaking uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs)—the long-range, high-flying, record-setting Zephyr is perhaps the best example.

Now, Airbus U.S. Space and Defense is building on the success of Zephyr by launching a new, purpose-built business line dedicated to military UAVs, the company announced Thursday. The business doesn’t yet have a name. But its goal will be to effectively optimize, scale, and deploy uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.