Airbus is developing a mothership version of the A400M Atlas capable of carrying and deploying unmanned aerial vehicles. The first flight is planned for 2029.
Airbus plans for the first “mothership” version of the A400M Atlas military transport aircraft to make its maiden flight in 2029. The development comes at a time when Germany’s rearmament process highlights the need for A400Ms in mothership configuration and hundreds of advanced combat drones.
Airbus has officially confirmed that it is working on a mothership version of the A400M capable of carrying and deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
“An Unprecedented Deep-Strike Capability”
Speaking to Bloomberg, Airbus A400M Atlas Programme Head Gerd Weber stated at the Singapore Airshow that the aircraft is being developed as a platform capable of launching unmanned aerial vehicles deployable in swarms.
Weber said, “We can deploy in swarms. This will provide a deep-strike capability we have not seen before,” adding that thanks to the A400M’s modular roll-on/roll-off system, drones can be loaded onto the aircraft and deployed in flight.
Capacity to Carry Up to 50 UAVs
According to the planned configuration, the A400M will be converted into a medium-scale mothership capable of carrying up to 50 unmanned aerial vehicles. However, the sizes and classes of these UAVs have not yet been finalised.
Airbus aims to deliver this strategic/tactical mothership version, currently at the concept stage, by 2029. According to Bloomberg, the company is developing the project together with a European customer seeking to deploy UAVs and deep-strike capable weapon systems.
Potential Customer: Germany
Although the identity of the customer has not been officially disclosed, current A400M operators include the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Türkiye, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan and Indonesia. According to sources close to Airbus, Germany is considered a strong candidate to be the first customer for the mothership concept.
Not a New Project, Tests Ongoing
Although Bloomberg highlights the 2029 timeline, the A400M mothership concept is not new. Airbus announced in 2022 that it was developing the A400M to launch “remote carriers” from the air.
In a December 2022 announcement, it was reported that Germany’s Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), Airbus, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and German companies SFL and Geradts successfully launched and operated a remote carrier from an A400M in flight.
A Key Element of FCAS
Within the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) framework, Airbus emphasises that “remote carriers” will be one of the system’s core components. In this context, platforms such as the A400M are planned to act as motherships capable of releasing up to 50 small or up to 12 heavy remote carriers once approaching the operational area.
The company states that work on the A400M mothership version for FCAS has continued as of mid-2025 and that the aircraft may assume this role earlier than 2029, with tests already ongoing.
The Mothership Concept Is Not New
The unmanned aerial vehicle mothership concept is not new in military aviation. The idea dates back to the Akron-class airships built by the U.S. Navy in the 1930s. These airships were capable of carrying, launching, and recovering Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk biplane fighter aircraft in flight.
