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Credit: Aura Aero
PARIS—Toulouse-based Aura Aero is close to launching a new collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) project, aiming to reach first flight with a demonstrator in 2028, CEO Jérémy Caussade said on June 17.
The CCA project follows plans to launch flight testing of Aura’s Enbata medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) uncrewed aircraft system by the end of the year, and stands to reuse the avionics and missions systems architecture developed for the latter.
“The idea is to have one core system: same control station, the same connectivity, the same architecture,” Caussade told Aviation Week at the Eurosatory trade show here.
Aura is designing the CCA with a maximum takeoff weight of 3-5 metric tons (6,600-11,000 lb.), or roughly 50% to 250% more than the 2-metric-ton, diesel-engine-powered Enbata.
The Aura CCA also would be designed with internal bays for weapons and a small turbofan engine, Caussade said. Safran and Rolls-Royce are working independently on small turbofans for the CCA market that could work, he added.
The project adds to a long list of aircraft developments by the nearly eight-year-old company. Aura’s Integral R two-seat trainer received European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification in December 2024. The Era, a hybrid-electric, 19-seat regional airliner, also is in development, with scheduled entry into service in 2030.
The company launched the Aero M division for the military aircraft market. The focus initially was on an electric-powered high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) aircraft. But the technical challenge of designing a solar-powered aircraft to operate in the high European latitudes proved complex—and Aura’s contacts in the French military asked them to change focus.
“The customer said to us that the CCA and the MALE were more urgent than the HAPS,” Caussade said.
Aura launched the Enbata to fill the role of a sovereign French MALE UAS. Initial interest for the aircraft from the French military is focused on the maritime patrol mission, Caussade said.
Enbata will be equipped with a nose-mounted Thales AirMaster-C radar, which will be integrated shortly after the aircraft completes first flight. Thales also is working on electronic intelligence and jammer payloads for Enbata.
Aura revealed the final configuration of Enbata at Eurosatory. The company dropped the canards from the original design revealed at the Paris Air Show last year. The engine nacelle and inlet are also enlarged to accommodate an intercooler and oil cooler, Caussade said.
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