Airbus has flown a US-built Valkyrie drone in Europe for the first time, aiming to show that regulatory barriers to military drones in European airspace can be overcome. The September 29 flight over northern Europe did not yet include Airbus' European mission system, said Michael Schoellhorn, chief executive officer of Airbus Defence and Space. The drone, developed by US-based Kratos Defense, reached Mach 0.8. Airbus hopes to team it with Eurofighter jets and supply the German Air Force with combat drones by 2029. The next test flight, with Airbus' MARS Mission System on board, is expected in the first quarter of 2027. A first flight with a Eurofighter is scheduled later that year. Schoellhorn put the cost at around €20 million per unit and estimated German needs at around 500 drones.

Airbus has successfully completed the first flight of its A350F freighter, bringing the aerospace giant closer to delivering a high-capacity cargo aircraft. The plane took off from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, flying for four hours and ten minutes and reaching 25,000 feet. The A350F can carry a payload of 109 tonnes, compared to 64 tonnes for the existing A330F. It features a 4.3-metre cargo door large enough to accommodate turbofan engines and high-density computer servers. Airbus claims the A350F is more efficient than Boeing's rival 777F, despite having slightly less capacity. The company has already received orders for 115 A350Fs. A second test aircraft is nearly complete as Airbus begins the certification process requiring hundreds of test flights.

Jet Zero Australia has raised $30 million to advance Project Ulysses, a commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel refinery in Townsville. The funding round was backed by institutional investors including Qantas and Airbus, both returning investors from 2023. South Korean company Posco International joined as a new strategic investor, with the parties exploring opportunities in fuel offtake, infrastructure and feedstock. The capital will fund completion of Front-End Engineering Design and support the project's progress towards Final Investment Decision and construction. Founded in 2021 by Ed Mason, Jet Zero develops biofuels production capacity in regional Australia. The project has received its final Development Permit Decision Notice from Queensland's Office of the Coordinator-General. It is expected to create approximately 1,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent operational roles.