TUSSENHAUSEN, Germany (Reuters) -German defence startup Helsing unveiled a new autonomous military drone on Thursday, joining a race to build remote-piloted systems that can swarm into battle with other drones or team up with crewed jets to reshape the future of air combat.

Unveiling a full-size angular model of the roughly four tonne "CA-1 Europa" drone at a factory outside Munich, Helsing said it would stage a first flight in 2027 and become available for military operations within the following four years.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Alexander Huebner, Supantha Mukherjee; Editing by Ros Russell)