Europe’s First Autonomous Combat Aircraft: Helsing’s CA-1 Europa

European Defence Autonomy Helsing unveils CA-1 Europa: Europe’s first autonomous combat aircraft design

2025-09-25 Source: Press release 2 min Reading Time

Helsing has unveiled its autonomous combat aircraft concept, CA-1 Europa. The full-scale design study was presented at the Grob Aircraft facility in Bavaria in the presence of Bavarian Minister President Dr Markus Söder, marking a major step towards Europe’s ambition to develop sovereign, AI-driven air combat capabilities.

Helsing presents the full-scale design study of its CA-1 Europa autonomous combat aircraft at Grob Aircraft in Bavaria, marking a milestone in Europe’s quest for AI-driven air combat capabilities.(Source: Helsing AI) — Helsing presents the full-scale design study of its CA-1 Europa autonomous combat aircraft at Grob Aircraft in Bavaria, marking a milestone in Europe’s quest for AI-driven air combat capabilities.
(Source: Helsing AI)

Helsing has spent the past four years developing advanced autonomy and artificial intelligence technologies for air combat, including its Centaur AI pilot, demonstrated earlier this year on the Saab Gripen fighter. With CA-1 Europa, Helsing now combines this expertise with Grob Aircraft’s experience in the 3-5 tonne class of aircraft manufacturing to create a scalable, mass-producible platform for Europe’s air forces.

The CA-1 Europa is designed as a high-subsonic, autonomous multi-role jet capable of operating as a single system or within a swarm. Equipped with a modular software operating system, the platform allows flexible integration of sensors, self-protection suites, weapons and mission software. Helsing will also provide a command-and-control system to support planning, coordination and supervision of complex autonomous missions, while the Centaur AI pilot enables fully autonomous operations.

Intended for precision strikes deep behind enemy lines, CA-1 Europa combines affordability with cutting-edge AI, supporting Europe’s goal of technological sovereignty in defence. “Unmanned combat aircraft play a key role in securing European air superiority,” said Torsten Reil, Co-CEO of Helsing. “Europe cannot afford to fall behind or become dependent on external players. CA-1 Europa ensures we remain in control of this critical capability.”

Stephanie Lingemann, Senior Director Air Domain at Helsing, added: “The future of military aviation lies in widely available systems where software and AI are the decisive technologies. That is why CA-1 is built on autonomy software as a fundamental building block.”

Bavarian Minister President Dr Markus Söder emphasised the strategic importance of the project: “Defence means security. The fusion of drones and AI is a key capability for the future. With CA-1 Europa, Bavaria strengthens its role as a leading hub for Europe’s defence industry. We need to increase our defence readiness massively to ensure sovereignty and deterrence.”

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Date: 08.12.2025

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