Airbus is working to transform a low-cost target aircraft into an unmanned LOAD interceptor that will carry air-to-air missiles.

French media Air & Cosmos reported on this.

At the Unmanned Systems X exhibition in Bonn, Airbus presented the LOAD unmanned air defense system project, which aims to create a cheap means of combating long-range kamikaze drones and other airborne threats.

The solution, named for Low-cost Air Defense, is built around an existing low-cost Airbus Do-DT25 target jet aircraft that will be upgraded and equipped with two or three interceptor missiles, depending on the type chosen.

The drone will be launched from a catapult and will have a range of more than 100 kilometers. A ground control center will provide target search and targeting based on radar data. Targets will be captured visually through an optical station.

The original Do-DT25 is only 3.1 meters long and has a wingspan of 2.5 meters. It is capable of staying in the air for up to 60 minutes and reaching speeds of up to 550 km/h, but these parameters may undergo significant changes when converted into a fighter jet.

Upon completing the mission, the drone will return to the ground station where it will parachute down. After that, it can be reused.

It is worth noting that the renders of the prospective aircraft used a model of the Enforcer multi-purpose missile from MBDA Germany, developed in 2019 as an infantry weapon to defeat ground targets. However, last April, it was reported that an anti-aircraft version was being developed to counter drones.

The missile, with a range of up to 2000 meters, already had the potential to intercept air targets in its basic version, with a fragmentation warhead, a remote detonation mode for indirect destruction, and a thermal imaging homing head.

With a diameter of 89 mm, the missile weighs only 7 kilograms, making it a good candidate for integration into a light jet drone.

The first LOAD prototype, equipped with two guided missiles, is expected to fly by the end of this year. All tests are scheduled to be completed by 2027.

Airbus believes that this drone can be an ideal complement to air defense systems such as IRIS-T and Patriot, providing interception of large groups of attack drones.