Helsing unveils CA-1 Europa, an autonomous fighter jet to boost European air combat capability

By Defence Industry Europe

Helsing has unveiled the CA-1 Europa, an autonomous uncrewed combat aerial vehicle, presenting a full-size design study at its Grob Aircraft subsidiary. The production version is expected within four years, with development and testing underway alongside partners from the European aerospace ecosystem.

The aircraft combines Helsing’s Centaur AI autonomy stack with Grob’s expertise in three-to-five tons-class design and production. Tailored for intelligent mass, CA-1 Europa is designed as a scalable, resilient platform for European supply chains, capable of high subsonic speeds and multi-role missions.

The jet integrates an advanced operating system for sensors, effectors, and self-protection, with Helsing also delivering a Command-and-Control system for complex missions. The platform is natively controllable by Helsing’s Centaur AI pilot and can operate independently or as part of a swarm, including for deep precision strikes.

Helsing’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Torsten Reil, said: “Uncrewed fighter jets will become a key capability for establishing air dominance and keeping us safe. Europe cannot afford to fall behind in this category or become dependent on third parties. With CA-1 Europa, we will make sure this does not happen.”

Stephanie Lingemann, Helsing’s Senior Director Air Domain, stated: “The future of combat air is in attritable systems, with software and intelligence as a key enabling technology. As a consequence, the CA-1 Europa has autonomy at its core.”

Ned Baker, Helsing’s UK Managing Director, added: “With Grob Aircraft, we already supply essential training aircraft to the Royal Air Force. CA-1 Europa will offer the RAF unprecedented combat air capability – an autonomous collaborative platform that can undertake a number of different missions to protect the UK without putting British pilots in harm’s way.”

Source: Helsing (press release).

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