Airbus U145

The Airbus U145 is an uncrewed, autonomous conversion of the H145 light-twin helicopter, designed to fly high-volume cargo into contested areas without aircrew aboard.

Overview

The Airbus U145 is an uncrewed rotorcraft derived from the H145 light twin-engine helicopter, unveiled by Airbus Helicopters on 8 June 2026 ahead of the ILA Berlin airshow, where the company displayed a full-scale mock-up. As described by Airbus, it keeps the proven H145 airframe, engines and useful load but deletes the cockpit, substituting a dedicated sensor suite and artificial intelligence for full autonomy. Airbus is pitching it primarily for high-volume cargo resupply, with secondary roles spanning surveillance, firefighting, armed scouting and use as a "drone mothership."

The U145 is a development-stage product, not a fielded system. No aircraft has flown, no operator has been announced, and Airbus has said it is not tied to any specific national or European acquisition, according to a company spokesperson quoted by The War Zone. It matters as an entry in an increasingly crowded field of large uncrewed cargo helicopters, and as a European bet that autonomous rotorcraft can take on the resupply and high-risk logistics missions that manned helicopters can no longer safely fly on a modern battlefield.

Development

The U145 is the second crewed-to-uncrewed conversion by Airbus Helicopters, following the naval VSR700, a rotary-wing uncrewed air system derived from the Guimbal Cabri G2 light helicopter. Where the VSR700 is a small shipborne reconnaissance drone, the U145 is a far larger 3.8-tonne-class logistics platform, reflecting a deliberate move up in scale, as New Atlas noted.

Aviation Week reported in February 2026 that Airbus was developing an uncrewed variant outside its U.S. business, and framed the decision as driven by shifting geopolitics and Europe's push for sovereign capabilities less dependent on Washington. The company chose the H145 in part for its performance but also because an uncrewed model retains commonality with the crewed H145M already in service or on order with a growing list of European and international militaries. Airbus set a first flight with a safety pilot aboard for the end of 2026 and entry into service for the beginning of the 2030s, per the company and corroborated by AeroTime. The program sits within Airbus Helicopters' broader uncrewed-systems strategy, which now also includes the acquired Aerovel Flexrotor and the French developer Survey Copter, Aviation Week noted.

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