Airbus and Kawasaki Heavy to cooperate on Japanese variant of Eurodrone
Airbus and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Sign Preliminary Agreement
TOKYO, June 26 (Reuters) - Airbus has signed a preliminary agreement with Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries to cooperate on a possible Japanese variant of a European defence drone, the aerospace company said on Friday.
Details of the Memorandum of Understanding
The proposed arrangement in the memorandum of understanding, first reported by the Nikkei business daily, would enable Japan to develop a maritime anti-submarine warfare version of the delayed €7 billion ($8 billion) Eurodrone programme involving France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Significance of the Partnership
This will be the first time a Japanese heavy industry company has partnered a foreign company on defence drones, Nikkei said. Japan has held observer status in the Eurodrone programme since 2023.
Collaboration Scope and Technical Aspects
Airbus said it would collaborate with Kawasaki on the design, development and commercialisation of a version tailored to Japanese requirements, including integration of Japanese sensors and weapons systems.
About the Eurodrone U950
The Eurodrone U950, Europe's competitor to the U.S. Reaper, is an unmanned system capable of staying airborne for up to 40 hours. Its first flight is scheduled for 2029.
Financial and Reporting Information
($1 = 0.8771 euros)
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama and Kantaro Komiya in Tokyo and Gianluca Lo Nostro in GdanskEditing by Chang-Ran Kim and David Goodman)