On Thursday, September 25, 2025, the German company Helsing presented a full-scale demonstrator of the autonomous combat unmanned aerial vehicle CA-1 Europa, in the Loyal Wingman configuration.
Photos: Helsing
The premiere took place at the headquarters of Helsing’s subsidiary, Grob Aircraft in Tussenhausen, in the presence of Bavaria’s Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder. The CA-1 Europa is being developed jointly with industrial partners from the European aerospace ecosystem and is expected to be ready for serial production within four years (with the prototype’s maiden flight already planned for 2027).
Over the past four years, Helsing has gained in-depth expertise in future air combat programs and has developed a range of AI-based algorithms for air sovereignty – including the AI-based autonomous pilot Centaur, which was demonstrated in the spring together with the Swedish company Saab Defence and Security, a strategic partner, on the JAS 39E Gripen multirole fighter.
With the CA-1 Europa, Helsing combines the Centaur autonomy with Grob Aircraft’s expertise in building aircraft in the 3–5 tonne class. In developing the CA-1, Helsing is relying on leading companies in the European industrial ecosystem, with whom it is building a scalable aircraft supported by a resilient European supply chain and logistics. The CA-1 Europa’s development and test work are taking place at Grob Aircraft.
The CA-1 Europa has been designed as an autonomous multirole jet, capable of high subsonic speeds thanks to a single turbofan engine. It will be able to carry a large payload (no tactical-technical parameters were provided) and will feature world-leading situational-awareness and mission-execution software. It is intended to be configurable to operate either as a single system or as part of a swarm.
The CA-1 Europa will use an advanced operating system that enables flexible integration of sensors, self-defense systems, weapons and other software. Helsing will also provide a flight command-and-control system to assist operators in planning, controlling and monitoring systems during complex autonomous missions. The platform is controlled by Helsing’s AI pilot, Centaur. The CA-1 Europa will be intended for a range of missions, including precision strikes against deep-operational enemy targets
The system description page on Helsing’s website gives additional information that the aircraft will be 11 m long, have a wingspan of 10 m and a high subsonic speed, with an internal weapons bay and a modular design enabling integration of sensors, electronic warfare (EW) systems, effectors and self-defense equipment. The aircraft is to be optimized for dispersed operations, including use from improvised locations with minimal infrastructure (e.g., road sections, aircraft carriers), for strike, reconnaissance and EW missions.
Torsten Reil, co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing, said:
“Unmanned combat aircraft play a key role in securing European air sovereignty. Europe cannot afford to fall behind in this area or become dependent on third parties. With the Helsing CA-1, we are making sure that this does not happen.”
Stephanie Lingemann, Senior Director Air Domain at Helsing, said:
“The future of military aviation lies in mass-available systems, where software and artificial intelligence are the decisive key technologies. That is why the CA-1 is based on autonomy software as its fundamental building block.”
Bavarian Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder said:
“Defense means security: the combination of drones and AI is a decisive future capability. With this latest generation of drones, we achieve technological dominance and sovereignty. We must massively increase our defense capability. This is also shown by incidents such as drone incursions into NATO airspace by Russia on NATO’s eastern border. Bavaria is committed to defense. We are already one of the top locations of the defense industry and want to expand that further. As many defense contracts as possible should come to the Free State. With our own defense law, we will grant defense companies privileges in approval and bureaucracy matters as well as in cooperation with universities. Only if we can defend ourselves will we not be attacked.”
Video: Helsing via LinkedIn
