There has been a drive towards uncrewed aerial systems and defeating them in recent weeks, with NATO exercises addressing the danger, new systems unveiled and a new Latvian counter-drone unit stood up following recent incursions.
Loitering munition procurement has accelerated throughout May 2026 as militaries continue to prioritise the capability. The US has led this activity by advancing swarm-drone concepts, downselecting more drones for the Army’s LASSO programme, and awarding procurement contracts for various systems.
At DSEI 2025, Red Cat outlines its expansion from UAVs into uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), positioning itself as a multi-domain defence provider spanning land, sea, and air.
The UK MoD said it would narrow down the competitors from four to two later in the year, with those selected going on to develop the prototype drone that will operate as loyal wingman to the British Army’s Apache AH-64E helicopters.
As uncrewed aerial systems and loitering munitions evolve, it is increasingly necessary for counter-uncrewed solutions to keep pace in order to protect not only military facilities and platforms but also dismounted troops.
One goal of NATO’s Exercise Crystal Arrow was to identify the potential uses of uncrewed ground vehicles – as seen on the Ukrainian battlefield – and put platforms into the hands of users.
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
The widespread use of drones and loitering munitions in current conflicts has tilted the balance in favour of the attacking force, both operationally and economically. EOS’s Dr Andreas Schwer tackles the question of what kind of C-UAS defen...
How Teledyne FLIR Defense C-UAS solutions – and sensors optimized for third-party systems integrators – deliver early drone detection and decision advantage for UAS threat response
In an exclusive interview with Shephard, General Dynamics Land Systems’ director of US strategy and growth disclosed details of the company’s XM30 Wolf design.
The DroneShield US subsidiary is rapidly expanding its manufacturing footprint in the country and has expedited the process to double its domestic production capacity in at least four months.
The Crystal Arrow Exercise is being used by NATO as a way to put new equipment such as uncrewed ground and aerial vehicles into the hands of alliance users, particularly Latvian and Baltic forces.