DSEI 2025: Drone Evolution eyes UK and export markets with Scimitar FPV drone

First-person-view (FPV) drones have become a pivotal element of modern warfare, as evidenced by the war in Ukraine and through conflicts in the Middle East. For the UK, it is also a key time for drone investment, as the country seeks to integrate UAVs into its future force structure, ensure national sovereign control over its technology and to support its domestic industrial base.

UK SME Drone Evolution is one such home-grown company poised to bring its new solution to market in the hopes to capture UK and export attention with its new FPV drone, Scimitar.

Unveiled at DSEI 2025 for the first time, Scimitar is available as a 10-inch or 7-inch bladed quadcopter. Made with non-Chinese parts, it stands as a completely “sovereign” FPV drone – an answer to the UK’s growing need for smaller, attritable UAVs, Toby Townrow, business development director at Drone Evolution, explained to Shephard.

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“What came out of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) is this 20-40-40 approach for land forces, and we need stockpiles of sovereign capability. We [the UK] haven’t got either of those at the moment.”

Built from a supply chain of UK or ‘UK-friendly’ parts, with the aim to make that completely UK-based in the near future, according to Drone Evolution its Scimitar drone is a robust, modular example of a British SME responding to UK and overseas demand signals for FPV drones.

The company already has experience designing small quadcopter drones, having released its ISR Sentinel UAV in 2023 and its resupply Runner UAV – both of which have seen use in Ukraine.

“The challenges you find [with FPV drones] are around the supply chain for parts. So, our next step was to say, we’ve got a design that works. We’ve done independently verified flights, long flights … Let’s make the supply chain ours,” Townrow added.

The 10-inch variant has a maximum operating range up to 30km, a MTOW of 5kg and a maximum payload of 3.5kg, while the 7-inch variant has a maximum range up to 15km and can carry up to 2kg of payload. However, customisation is also an option on offer, Townrow said, dependant on customer demand.

“We have had requests for a 15-inch [drone] which we’re fulfilling, which will carry payloads of around 7kg. We've also had another request for a small 3.5-inch version with blade covers for the LIDAR sensor on for searching indoors. The customisation angle [is one that] we can do as well. But our core ranges are seven and 10 inches”.

Ukrainian-tested and designed

According to Townrow, Scimitar has also been developed with in-house Ukrainian expertise.

With the drone developed over the past year, earlier prototypes of Drone Evolution’s Scimitar have been tested in Latvia with the UK’s Drone Coalition to prove out the drone’s long-range flying performance, and in Ukraine shaped by feedback from end-users in units on the battlefield. While Ukraine is not a core target market for Drone Evolution according to Townrow, this testing and feedback has still proved invaluable for the company.

Flights have also been conducted in the UK in recent months, with Drone Evolution running a training course using the Scimitar for the 2 Royal Yorks regiment in July, as the British Army works to integrate drones into its force structure.

Crucially, Scimitar is designed to operate in GNNS-denied environments and avoid jamming with its “hot-swappable” modular ExpressLRS (ERLS) radio that allows the user to fly the drone at different frequencies, avoiding those being jammed. The radio, being a “plug and play” piece of equipment, is now being patented by the company.

Marketed as a full “turnkey” solution, the company has also said it can offer training and maintenance follow-up with the drone, including a toolkit for users to quickly repair the device in field.

Drone Evolution has estimated that it could produce an average of around 10,000 drones a month with the ability to scale that solution.

“That’s not necessarily a maximum ceiling,” Townrow said, who noted the company’s two contracted manufacturers are ready to scale as needed. “[For example] we know the lead time for 10,000 flight controllers is 30 days. For 10,000 [drones] we can probably get up to producing that in around three to four months”.

Exports could prove a captive market

Aside from the focus on the UK with its fully sovereign UK-manufacturing behind it, export markets are also proving to be a fertile ground for opportunity, with Drone Evolution also looking at the US, Australia and the Far East in particular. Townrow confirmed that the company is in some early-stage discussions with overseas customers.

According to Shephard Defence Insight, the US is expected to spend US$792 million on mini and micro drones across the next five years, with the UK forecast to spend $293 million. These countries are estimated to be two of the three highest spending nations on this capability across this time period.

Andrew Jeffrey, business development manager at Drone Evolution said: “As any conflict becomes more normalised, procurement will revert towards the conventional procedures, rather than as an extreme process to get what is needed to the front-line as soon as possible. In addition, the re-balance of what in-country industries can routinely supply can change. 

“We have seen this [in Ukraine] with the production of FPV drones. That is why we have deliberately broadened our horizons to look further at international markets beyond UK and Ukraine. The signs so far have been very positive with many nations showing a keen interest in what Drone Evolution have to offer.”

Looking ahead, Drone Evolution has hopes to grow both its order book as well as its portfolio.

The company is exploring advanced technologies into its drones, with new work focused on installing AI software into a next-level hybrid FPV/ISR drone offering. Working in tandem with another UK supplier as a joint exercise, it is envisioned to be ready by next year, Townrow explained. Trials to design a fibre optic drone system has also already started, he added.

Townrow concluded: “We’ve got all the elements in place to get this off the ground in a big way. We’re ready to support as many people that need the support in as many countries, as many fighting forces that need the support”.

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