Airbus Defence and Space and Alta Ares have signed a memorandum of understanding in Berlin to develop and integrate European counter-drone and air-defence solutions.
The partnership pairs Airbus system and software integration with Alta Ares’s AI-driven tactical air-defence and counter-UAS capabilities. The companies want to speed deployment of resilient next-generation systems for Europe, with work already centred on the Black Bird medium-range interceptor and the X-Lock short-range drone-defence system. Black Bird is described as a 30 km interceptor for high-speed targets including cruise missiles, while X-Lock is a 15 km system built for drone threats.
The deal gives Airbus a sharper route into the European counter-UAS market as procurement pressure rises across land and air-defence programmes.