Airbus Partners With Kawasaki on Japanese Eurodrone Variant

Airbus has signed a preliminary agreement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries to explore a Japanese version of the Eurodrone, focusing on maritime anti-submarine warfare. This marks the first collaboration between a Japanese heavy industry company and a foreign entity on defense drones, with Japan having an observer status since 2023.

Airbus has entered into a preliminary agreement with Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries to jointly explore the development of a Japanese variant of the European defense drone, Eurodrone, the aerospace company announced on Friday.

This collaborative effort, formalized in a memorandum of understanding, would allow Japan to create a maritime anti-submarine warfare version of the Eurodrone program, a project involving France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, valued at €7 billion ($8 billion). According to the Nikkei business daily, this marks the first instance of a Japanese heavy industry company partnering with a foreign firm on defense drones, with Japan having been an observer in the program since 2023.

Airbus has stated that it will work with Kawasaki on designing, developing, and commercializing a drone version that meets Japanese needs, including integrating Japanese sensors and weapons systems. The Eurodrone U950, set to rival the U.S. Reaper, is an unmanned aerial system capable of remaining airborne for up to 40 hours, with its inaugural flight planned for 2029.