Thales and AURA AERO Partner on Enbata MALE Drone ISR

French aerospace manufacturers Thales Group and AURA AERO announced a partnership on June 16, 2026, to equip the newly unveiled Enbata Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone with advanced airborne surveillance radar and electronic warfare systems.

The collaboration, detailed in a Thales press release, aims to provide the French Armed Forces with a sovereign, cost-effective Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform capable of operating in complex electromagnetic environments. The announcement coincides with the Eurosatory 2026 defense exhibition in Paris, where AURA M, the defense subsidiary of AURA AERO, revealed the finalized design of the Enbata aircraft.

Enbata Drones specifications and design

AURA AERO initially launched its military drone initiative at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2025, leveraging technological foundations from its civil aviation programs, including the Integral trainer and ERA regional aircraft. The resulting platform, managed by the AURA M subsidiary under the leadership of retired General Stéphane Mille, features a simple metal fuselage and composite wings designed for deployment from rudimentary airfields.

According to technical specifications released by AURA M, the Enbata drone features:

• Maximum endurance of 55 hours
• Maximum payload capacity of 1,050 kg (including fuel and mission load)
• Operational altitude of 25,000 feet
• Cruise speed of 160 knots true airspeed (ktas)
• Wingspan of 17 meters

The system is engineered to be transportable within a standard 40-foot shipping container and can be deployed via military transport aircraft such as the Airbus A400M. AURA M projects the first flight of the Enbata drone will occur in 2026.

Thales AirMaster C and electronic warfare integration

Under the partnership agreement, Thales will supply the Enbata platform with its AirMaster C airborne surveillance radar and a suite of electronic warfare solutions. The AirMaster C utilizes an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) architecture integrated with onboard artificial intelligence. This configuration enables the radar to perform autonomous target classification and filter data at the system level, reducing the volume of raw information transmitted to ground control stations.

Thales Vice-President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance activities Marie Gayrel stated that combining the Enbata drone with Thales radar and electronic warfare capabilities provides armed forces with a sovereign ISR solution.

“Through this partnership, Thales once again demonstrates its ability to equip drones with next-generation combat-proven electronic warfare and radar solutions developed entirely in France, leveraging Artificial Intelligence to further enhance operational capabilities,” Gayrel said.

The initial integration of Thales equipment into the Enbata platform is scheduled to take place between 2026 and 2027.

AirPro News analysis

The partnership between Thales and AURA AERO highlights a growing emphasis within the French defense sector on domestic supply chains and sovereign technological capabilities. By adapting civil aviation designs for military applications, AURA AERO is attempting to bypass the lengthy and expensive development cycles typical of clean-sheet military aircraft programs. If the 2026 first flight and subsequent systems integration proceed on schedule, the Enbata could offer the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) a lower-cost, rapidly deployable alternative to larger, more complex MALE platforms currently dominating the market. We view the inclusion of Thales AESA and AI-driven radar technology as a critical factor in making this cost-effective airframe viable for modern, data-heavy ISR missions.

Sources: Thales Group