The ‘Bird of Prey’ platform was developed as a simple, cost-effective counter-drone system that can engage attack UAVs with low-cost air-to-air missiles.
Airbus Defence and Space announced on Mar. 30, 2026, the first test of its ‘Bird of Prey’ counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) platform, based on a modified Do-DT25 target drone. The drone notably fired a low-cost Mark I air-to-air missile at an unspecified target.
The Mark I missile is developed by defense start-up Frankenburg Technologies, a partner in the Bird of Prey program. Both companies will conduct additional tests throughout 2026, Airbus said in its statement.
The European defense major said the platform, which has been in the works for around nine months, responds to the persistent kamikaze drone threat needing simpler and cost-effective asymmetric solutions. The video released by Airbus shows footage of targets and civilian residential buildings struck by Russian Geran-type One-Way Attack (OWA) drones as an example of the threats that the Bird of Prey would counter.
The DT-25, which recently also flew with Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomous flight software, is seen carrying two Mark 1 AAMs on each wing, one of which it fires at an unidentified target in the test that took place in northern Germany. The test also comes as drone threats reach new heights, as shown by the Iranian drone and missile attacks against U.S. installations and energy infrastructure in nearby countries.
Successful first demo flight: Airbus’ uncrewed Bird of Prey interceptor autonomously engages kamikaze drone with @FrankenburgTech missile.
The Airbus ‘Bird of Prey’ is designed to seamlessly operate within NATO’s integrated air defence architecture via established command and… pic.twitter.com/u3Yd5K9uSY
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) March 30, 2026
Footage also emerged on Mar. 31 showing a delta-wing Iranian Shahed-type long-range OWA reportedly being destroyed over Erbil in northern Iraq. Observers concluded that a counter-drone UAV was involved.
Bird of Prey test
The video released by Airbus showed two DT25s and two ground-based rail-launch systems. With one of the DT25s carrying a Mark 1 each under each wing on specialized launchers, it is possible the other DT25 acted as the target drone.
The press release, the video and the officially released image do not mention or show the Mark I missile striking the target. It is also possible that the weapon did not have a live explosive warhead, which might have been replaced by telemetry systems.
Airbus does however show footage from the ground operator’s console, possibly the video being beamed from the DT25’s small camera bulge above the nose, showing another object marked as ‘Drone 1’. It is unclear whether this is the other DT25 acting as the target drone or the DT25 carrying the Mark 1s.
Airbus called the Bird of Prey’s maiden demonstration as a “realistic mission scenario” where the modified Do-DT25 “autonomously searched, detected and classified a medium-sized one-way attack (kamikaze) drone.” The company added that, “After successful identification, the Bird of Prey interceptor engaged the target with a Mark I air-to-air missile.”
The release also highlighted the Bird of Prey’s defining feature as being able to “seamlessly” fuse with NATO’s integrated air defense architecture and command and control systems centered around Airbus’ Integrated Battle Management System (IBMS). This enables the C-UAS system to become a part of a layered air defense grid, as a mobile point defense platform engaging small drones that slip through radar and anti-air missile screens meant for larger aircraft, cruise, or ballistic missiles.
The modified Do-DT25 Bird of Prey prototype has a wingspan of 2.5 meters, a length of 3.1 meters, and a maximum take-off weight of 160 kg, according to Airbus. “While the prototype was equipped with four Mark I air-to-air missiles, the operational version will be able to carry up to eight of them,” Airbus said.
However, the images and the video only show two missiles installed on the aircraft. As the specialized launcher under the drone’s wings features four rails, with only two missiles installed, with Airbus’ statement thus possibly referring to the ability to be equipped with up to four missiles.
The Mark 1 missile meanwhile flies at high-subsonic speeds, and is a fire-and-forget weapon with an engagement range of up to 1.5 km. It is 65 cm long, and weighs less than 2 kg, making it the lightest guided interceptor developed to date.
The weapon is equipped with a fragmentation warhead designed to neutralize targets at short proximity. “This will enable the reusable Bird of Prey to engage and neutralize multiple kamikaze drones per mission, at a comparably low cost per kill,” says Airbus.
Leap forward in defense against drones
Airbus Defence and Space CEO Mike Schoellhorn noted the “current geopolitical and military backdrop” that makes “defending against kamikaze drones” an urgent “tactical priority.”
“With our Bird of Prey and Frankenburg’s affordable Mark I missiles, we are providing armed forces with an effective, cost-efficient interceptor, filling a crucial capability gap in today’s asymmetric conflict theatres,” said Schoellhorn. “The integration of Bird of Prey into Airbus’ air defense battle management suite IBMS acts as a force multiplier.”
Frankenburg Technologies CEO Kusti Salm called the Bird of Prey test as “a defining step for modern air defense.” The CEO further added that, “together with Airbus, it marks the first integration of a new class of low-cost, mass-manufacturable interceptor missiles onto a drone, creating a new cost curve for air defense and enabling defense against mass aerial threats at a fundamentally different scale.”
Drone menace continues
The Shahed-type OWA drone destroyed in the video over Iraq has generated a lot of interest, especially since observers claim a drone-killing UAV was involved in that interception. The identity of this alleged anti-drone system remains a mystery.
Raytheon’s Coyote-series of counter-UAV drones, which forms a part of the Mobile-Low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) mounted on a M-ATV, were revealed by the company to have been used in combat having “successfully intercepted hundreds of drones.” It is however unclear if this might have been involved, as there is no confirmation about where it was used, although it was suggested it could have been Syria or Iraq.
Possibly the first known video documenting the use of an interceptor drone to take down an Iranian Shahed-type long-range OWA-UAV during the ongoing war in the Middle East region.
Taken over Erbil in northern Iraq.pic.twitter.com/9CwUEb4d7r
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) March 31, 2026
With drones continuously being employed in the latest conflict in Iran, the use of highly priced weapons to shoot down cheap drones is becoming noticeable. Militaries are looking for alternative ways to make the interception of these threats more cost-effective.
For instance, Ukraine has recently signed deals with countries in the Middle East to provide interceptor drones. These are reportedly cheaper than standard air-to-air missiles used by fighters and surface-to-air missiles used by ground-based defenses, allowing to fix the economic balance of the counter-drone defenses.
