Leonardo invests in Skydweller Aero
Leonardo has announced its investment in Skydweller Aero, a US/Spanish company specialising in large-scale solar-powered UAS.
The initiative will result in the development and deployment of the Skydweller UAS, a fully electric UAS capable of carrying large payloads with unlimited range and ultra-persistent endurance.
Skydweller will combine potentially unlimited persistence and range with the flexibility of an aircraft. It will be capable of operating from existing airbases around the world, deploying thousands of miles away to areas of high need, and remaining overhead for long periods.
Applications will include land and maritime surveillance, environmental and infrastructure monitoring, industrial geo-information services, telecommunications and precision navigation. During emergencies and disaster-recovery situations, the system will rapidly deploy to provide backup communications and direct support to first responders.
The Skydweller programme will see conversion of a manned platform to an optionally-piloted vehicle (OPV) by integrating advanced autonomy algorithms and vehicle management systems. This will be followed by a second phase, culminating in the first production aircraft, designed solely for unmanned operations and hardened against a range of environmental conditions.
The first autonomous flights of the OPV is projected for 2020 and the first production model of the unmanned version of the aircraft is expected in 2021.
Leonardo will act as the prime contractor for commercial opportunities in Italy, the UK, Poland and NATO.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
