Get you up to speed: Germany tests Bird of Prey drone interceptor capable of engaging enemy drones
The experimental ‘Bird of Prey’ interceptor drone, designed by Airbus, has been developed in nine months to engage targets such as kamikaze drones. It deployed a Mark I air-to-air missile from Frankenburg Technologies during a trial mission in Germany.
The Bird of Prey drone, developed by Airbus, aims to enhance air defence capabilities against threats from kamikaze drones like Iran‘s Shaheds, according to Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. Kusti Salm, CEO of Frankenburg Technologies, stated that this project represents “a defining step for modern air defence” by integrating low-cost interceptor missiles onto a drone.
Further test flights, including trials with live warheads, are planned throughout 2026. The Bird of Prey drone has been designed to operate within NATO’s integrated air defence architecture using established command-and-control systems centred on Airbus’s Integrated Battle Management System.
The ‘bird of prey’ that hunts and destroys Iran and Russia’s kamikaze drones | News Tech
The Bird of Prey releases a Mark I missile which has locked on to an enemy drone (Picture: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH/Cover Media)
Unleashing a missile high above Germany, this is the experimental ‘Bird of Prey’ interceptor drone intended to tackle Iran and Russia’s flying arsenal.
The unmanned aircraft, designed by Airbus, has been put together in just nine months and has the potential to take down kamikaze drones like Iran’s now infamous Shaheds.
During the trial, the Bird of Prey was deployed in a realistic mission scenario, where it searched for, detected, and classified a medium-sized one-way attack drone.
After identifying the target, it engaged it using a Mark I air-to-air missile developed by defence technology start-up Frankenburg Technologies.
The drone is launched on its first demonstration flight in Germany (Picture: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH/Cover Media)
Mike Schoellhorn, chief executive of Airbus Defence and Space, said: ‘Against the current geopolitical and military backdrop, defending against kamikaze drones is a tactical priority that urgently needs to be tackled.
‘With our Bird of Prey and Frankenburg’s affordable Mark I missiles, we are providing armed forces with an effective, cost-efficient interceptor, filling a crucial capability gap in today’s asymmetric conflict theatres.
‘The integration of Bird of Prey into Airbus’ air defence battle management suite IBMS acts as a force multiplier.”
The drone is reusable and can engage multiple targets during a single mission (Picture: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH/Cover Media)
The prototype is based on a modified Airbus Do-DT25 drone and has a wingspan of 2.5 metres, a length of 3.1 metres, and a maximum take-off weight of 160kg.
In the test configuration, it carried four Mark I missiles, although the operational version is expected to carry up to eight.
The high-subsonic, fire-and-forget missiles have a range of up to 1.5 kilometres and weigh less than 2kg each, making them among the lightest guided interceptors developed to date.
They are fitted with a fragmentation warhead designed to neutralise targets at close range.
The Bird of Prey drone in flight (Picture: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH/Cover Media)
‘This is a defining step for modern air defence,’ said Kusti Salm, chief executive of Frankenburg Technologies. ‘Together with Airbus, it marks the first integration of a new class of low-cost, mass-manufacturable interceptor missiles onto a drone, creating a new cost curve for air defence and enabling defence against mass aerial threats at a fundamentally different scale.’
Developers say the reusable drone could engage multiple targets during a single mission at relatively low cost, offering a potential response to the growing use of one-way attack drones in modern conflicts such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.
The system has been designed to operate within NATO’s integrated air defence architecture using established command-and-control systems centred on Airbus’s Integrated Battle Management System.
Further test flights, including trials with live warheads, are planned throughout 2026.
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