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Air Warfare
Eurosatory 2026: Wartime iteration gives Ukraine an edge as future UAV exporter
23rd June 2026
As industrial-scale drone production proves its battlefield worth in Ukraine, what happens to that production capacity and knowhow once the guns fall silent – and is Ukraine about to become one of the world’s most credible UAV export partners?
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Air Warfare
Ageing RQ-11 Raven fleets create a global replacement opportunity
28th August 2026
The RQ-11 Raven is being retired from service across most of its more than 30 operators. Defence Insight estimates that these Raven retirements open up a replacement market worth at least $576 million, but suppliers will have to act quickly and strike a balance between cost and capability to succeed.
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Air Warfare
May drone digest: American loitering munition spending continues to drive market growth
29th May 2026
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.
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Land Warfare
Northrop Grumman pushing ahead with smaller Integrated Battle Command System
8th September 2026
Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Battle Command System is in service with Polish forces and is being introduced to US forces, with further development underway on the original platform as well as a smaller, more mobile system.
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Air Warfare
June drone digest: Landmark CCA contract and deep-strike capability flourishes at Eurosatory
29th June 2026
June 2026 saw the landmark acquisition of the first fighter-type Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), while the month also hosted Eurosatory, which showcased deep-strike capabilities and production deals with the civilian industry.
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Air Warfare
August drone digest: AEVEX solidifies large US loitering munition market share as procurement models shift
27th August 2026
AEVEX has strengthened its position in the US loitering munition market with another contract award, solidifying its position as the second-largest supplier of the capability in the US. Elsewhere in August, new and emerging programmes in Sweden and Germany point to a broader shift towards larger, rolling framework agreements for loitering munitions across Europe.
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Air Warfare
2025 UAV market review: $7.8 billion in new contracts signed as US leads spending
17th December 2025
Qatar and Indonesia followed the US’s high spending on new uncrewed aerial vehicle contracts across 2025, while MALE and micro drones and loitering munitions were particularly popular subcategories this year.
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Air Warfare
Denmark air focus: $2.64 billion UAV market blends US imports with Nordic cooperation
14th April 2026
While Denmark appears to be more committed to UAVs than most of its Nordic neighbours, its procurement efforts are likely to be split between American-made systems for its larger requirements and Nordic partnerships for smaller platforms.
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Land Warfare
South American MBTs: upgrades and payload modernisation could shape procurement paths
8th June 2026
While South American geopolitics are complicated, the likelihood of inter-state warfare is low, calling into question the future of the venerable main battle tank.
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Air Warfare
Anduril awarded latest OPF-L contract with around $155.2 million still up for grabs
20th January 2026
As the US Marine Corps continues to push loitering munitions as a core battlefield tool, Shephard looks at how the latest contract award factors into future potential purchases.
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Air Warfare
AUSA 2025: AeroVironment showcases new variant of Switchblade loitering munition family
15th October 2025
The new Switchblade 400 was on display alongside new variants of existing drones: the Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20.
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Air Warfare
December drone digest: Germany, Australia and US champion indigenous UAV production
30th December 2025
One of the key trends seen in December has been the rise in indigenous investment within the UAV market, particularly across certain countries, with Germany, Australia and the US focusing on their commitments to sovereign development.
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Land Warfare
The C-UAS challenge: Finding the threat before it finds you
18th May 2026
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
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Air Warfare
January drone digest: MALE, rotary-wing and loitering munition UAVs dominate early 2026
27th January 2026
The first month of 2026 has seen activity in the MALE, rotary-wing, and loitering munition UAV markets, with significant investments and commitments from Germany, Turkey, the UAE and the US. At the same time, questions over loitering munition performance in Ukraine highlight the growing scrutiny alongside rising demand.
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Air Warfare
US Army awards nearly $6 billion in contracts for CUAS interceptors and UAS systems
1st October 2025
A contract of $5 billion was awarded to Raytheon by the US Army, while a $982 million contract award for uncrewed systems was scooped to Mistral Group.
Programme Results - Defence Insight
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Military UAS - mini
Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]
Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...
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Military UAS - small
Puma 3 AE (Uzbekistan)
Programme Background Original FMS Contract On 27 January 2022, the US DoD announced AeroVironment had been awarded an $8.54 million firm-fixed-price contract for an unknown quantity ...
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Military UAS - small
Jump 20 (MQ-31A) [Italy]
Background Contract award On 21 April 2025, AeroVironment announced that it had been awarded a contract worth US$46.6 million from the Italian Ministry of Defence (MOD) to ...
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Military UAS - mini
Puma AE [Saudi Arabia]
Background Small UAS family In June 2012, AeroVironment confirmed that Saudi Arabia was among the customers that had acquired aircraft from its small UAS family, ...
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Military UAS - mini
RQ-11 Raven [Saudi Arabia]
Background Small UAS family In June 2012, AeroVironment confirmed that Saudi Arabia was among the customers that had acquired aircraft from its small UAS family, ...
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Loitering munitions
Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS): Switchblade [US]
Background DoD Contract On 27 August 2024, the US DoD announced that AeroVironment had been awarded a ceiling $990 million hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to provide “an ...
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Military UAS - mini
Blackwing (Second Batch) [USA]
Programme BackgroundFirst Batch The Blackwing originated from a 2013 initiative to develop a low-cost submarine-launched UAS for the US Navy. Following successful tests with the ...
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Military UAS - mini
Blackwing (First Batch) [USA]
Programme Background AeroVironment developed the Blackwing system as part of a 2013 US Navy and US Pacific Command (PACOM) sponsored Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (JCTD) ...
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Military UAS - micro
RQ-11 Raven [Netherlands]
Background Contract award The Raven B was selected by the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) to meet its requirement for a mini UAV capable of providing ...
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Loitering munitions
Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) [US Army]
Background First contract In June 2011, the US awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million series-production contract for the loitering munition, satisfying the US Army’s Lethal Miniature ...
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UAS: communication systems
UAS: communication systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]
In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...
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UAS: flight control systems
UAS: flight control systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]
In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...
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Military UAS - small
Puma 2 AE [Estonia]
Programme Background The US DoD announced that it had awarded AeroVironment an $8.868 million firm-fixed-price contract to supply an undisclosed number of RQ-20B Puma AE ...
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Loitering munitions
Switchblade (Second order) [Greece]
Background First order As part of its 10-year purchasing plan, Greece acquired the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 from AeroVironment in 2024. According to reports, ...
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Loitering munitions
Organic Precision Fire - Light (OPF-L) (Uncontracted) [USMC]
Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. In May 2022, an annual update ...
Equipment Results - Defence Insight
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Military UAS - small
VAPOR 55 MX
AeroVironment's VAPOR 55 MX is an all-electric rotary-wing small UAV. It features a modular architecture that users can configure to support various mission requirements. For example, ...
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Military UAS - small
Jump 20
The Jump 20 is a VTOL-capable variant of the T-20 platform manufactured by Arcturus UAV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AeroVironment. The platform has an open ...
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EO/IR systems
Mantis i45
The Mantis i45 is a compact EO/IR system from AeroVironment. It features a 15MP colour day sensor, a VGA resolution LWIR sensor and a class 3B laser ...
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Military UAS - mini
Quantix Recon
Quantix Recon is a fully autonomous reconnaissance and mapping UAS manufactured by AeroVironment. These capabilities are provided by the platform's 18MP RGB and Militpsectral camera, which ...
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EO/IR systems
Mantis i23
AeroVironment's Mantis i23 EO/IR payload is designed to conduct ISR from the Raven UAV. The system features a laser illuminator in addition to its 5MP daylight ...
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Military UAS - small
P550
Designed by AeroVironment, the P550 is a fixed-wing UAV that can host reconnaissance, EW or offensive payloads. In an April 2024 statement, AeroVironment stated that ...
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Military UAS - mini
Puma AE (Family)
The Puma All Environment (AE) is a popular family of small, fixed-wing UAVS manufactured by AeroVironment (AV). The original Puma AE was superseded on the production ...
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Launchers
Multipack Launcher (MPL)
AeroVironment’s Multi Pack Launcher (MPL) is an all-weather remotely operated autonomous launch battery for standard Switchblade and Blackwing systems. The six-round capacity MPL can also be ...
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Military UAS - small
VAPOR 55
The VAPOR 55 is an all-electric rotary-wing small UAV. Pulse Aerospace initially manufactured it before AeroVironment purchased the company in 2019. Powered by a high-energy-density lithium-polymer battery, ...
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EO/IR systems
Mantis i45 N
The Mantis i45 N is a dual-axis, gyro-stabilised, multi-sensor nighttime imaging payload system designed for ISR operations. Manufactured by AeroVironment, it features dual LWIR sensors, ...
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Military UAS - HALE
Global Observer
The AeroVironment Global Observer HALE UAV was a developmental HALE UAV designed for various civil, commercial and government applications. Development of the platform began in 2007 ...
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Military UAS - micro
Snipe Nano
The Snipe Nano was a micro rotary-wing UAV developed by AeroVironment. Designed to give dismounted troops an immediate "over the wall, down the alley [and] around the hill" ISR ...
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EO/IR systems
Mantis i23 D
Unveiled in 2022, the Mantis i23 D is a compact daytime imaging payload for ISR missions. It features a dual 18MP EO sensor, a 24x ...
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Loitering munitions
Switchblade 300
The Switchblade 300 is a man-portable, tube-launched loitering munition manufactured by AeroVironment. The platform is rapidly deployable by one operator from either a self-contained ground launcher ...
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Military UAS - mini
Blackwing
Manufactured by AeroVironment and based on the Switchblade loitering munition, the Blackwing is a tube-launched UAV designed to deliver rapid ISR capabilities through its EO/IR ...
