France, Germany and Spain approve MBDA drone PDR — AeroTime
France, Germany and Spain have approved the preliminary design review (PDR) of the MBDA Remote Carrier Compact unmanned demonstrator. The decision paves the way for further design work, production and the aircraft’s first flight in 2029, AeroTime reports. According to MBDA, the three countries confirmed the review results in the summer of 2026.
Preparing the demonstrator
MBDA France, MBDA Germany and Spanish partner SATNUS worked on the project within the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS), a key part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The target of a first flight in 2029 has remained unchanged since June 2023, when the company unveiled a concept called the Expendable Remote Carrier at the Paris Air Show.
MBDA said its teams had completed the demonstrator’s design, produced several representative mock-ups and created a digital twin of the aircraft. Ground testing included subsystem checks, mock-ups for integration and structural integrity verification, as well as wind-tunnel testing. Simulations were used to validate digital models and initial algorithms.
In the first half of 2026, the results were presented at technical meetings in Spain, France and Germany. The meetings involved customer representatives, including air force pilots from the three countries.
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The future of the program
MBDA describes the Remote Carrier Compact as an unmanned aircraft for collaborative combat operations, designed for escort missions, reconnaissance and engaging high-priority targets. Illustrations released with the announcement show the aircraft being launched from an Airbus A400M transport aircraft and a FREMM frigate.
At the same time, the current NGWS contractual framework is nearing completion. France and Germany withdrew from the joint New Generation Fighter project in June 2026 after a prolonged industrial dispute between Airbus and Dassault Aviation. In September, the German government said that the NGWS program was being completed under the current contracts and that an early termination of the fighter component was being discussed.
MBDA program incubator Vice President Lionel Mazenq said that the company would continue developing the Remote Carrier Compact. At the same time, MBDA’s announcement does not specify how production of the demonstrator and flight testing will be funded after the current NGWS framework ends.
