• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australia hunts for naval VTOL UAV

  15th April 2016

  Australia wants a small number of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAVs to develop experience in their use aboard Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships at …

• Land Warfare

  DSA 2016: Skyshield to monitor China

  14th April 2016

  Amidst growing concern in Jakarta about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, Indonesia will shift some Oerlikon Skyshield air defence systems to the Natuna Islands. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DARPA’s ALIAS completes first flight test

  11th April 2016

  A research effort associated with DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) programme has conducted flight tests of a plug-and-play system designed to enable aircraft …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Patroller to replace French Army Sperwer

  5th April 2016

  The Patroller UAV has finally been confirmed as the replacement for the Sperwer UAS currently deployed with the French Army’s 61st Artillery Regiment from 2018. …

• Digital Battlespace

  DefExpo 2016: OIS-AT promotes four radars

  4th April 2016

  OIS Advanced Technology (OIS-AT), a private Indian company, showed four new radar types at DefExpo 2016 in Goa. In a briefing with Shephard, Sanjay Bhandari, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DefExpo 2016: OIS-AT promotes UAV proliferation

  4th April 2016

  The private Indian firm OIS Advanced Technology (OIS-AT) has invested heavily in UAVs over the past four years. Indeed, Sanjay Bhandari, founder chairman and managing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FIDAE 2016: Tucan soars into Chile

  31st March 2016

  Spanish aerospace and defence group Everis is displaying its Tucan unmanned aerial system for the first time at the FIDAE airshow in Santiago, Chile. Developed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Kongsberg tests SAR UAV technology

  30th March 2016

  Kongsberg Geospatial and the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service have concluded the field trials of a new software application that improves the safety of operating …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Qinetiq on a quest to expand unmanned airspace

  29th March 2016

  Qinetiq is looking to expand the use of UAVs across the UK following a successful proof of concept of its unmanned services in Snowdonia, Wales. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DefExpo 2016: DRDO UAVs proliferate

  29th March 2016

  The Aeronautical Development Establishment's (ADE), of the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Golden Hawk is undergoing trials by the Indian Army and paramilitary …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ThunderB UAS flies for 25+ hours

  28th March 2016

  Bluebird Aero Systems has demonstrated the ability of its ThunderB UAV system to fly for more than 20 hours, completing a flight of 25.5 hours …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Malaysia selects Thales UAV

  25th March 2016

  The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the country’s coast guard, has selected a Spanish-built fixed-wing UAV for use aboard new patrol vessels. The winning design …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Dedrone launches DroneTracker 2.0

  24th March 2016

  Dedrone has launched DroneTracker 2.0, its next-generation UAV warning system designed to detect UAVs by their WLAN signals, the company announced on 21 March. DroneTracker, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV Factory targets payload market

  23rd March 2016

  UAV Factory has launched a new division - Octopus ISR Systems - announced on 22 March. The division will offer intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions …

• Training

  UAV pilot training struggles continue

  21st March 2016

  The US Air Force (USAF) is continuing to fall behind with the management of its unmanned aerial system (UAS) pilots and further action is needed, …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  AR3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Background £270 Million investment On 15 September 2025, the UK MoD noted that, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK ...

• Military UAS - small

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  Background  Relationship to the Heavy Lift Challenge The Royal Navy (RN) embarked on the Heavy Lift Challenge, now called the Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC), to explore cargo-carrying ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project NYX: Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) strategy Reflecting on lessons from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role of ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Background Retirement and replacement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be ...

• Military UAS - small

  StormShroud: Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  AR5 [Portugal]

  Methodology PGO The PGO has been set to 100% because the programme has been contracted, with deliveries due very shortly. Units required No details were ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) (Project Vanquish) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role of ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Land Exploration and Reconnaissance Vehicle (VERT) (Mini UAV) [Spain]

  Background VERT In June 2025, the Spanish Government announced a €72 million (US$82.5 million) investment in the Vehículo de exploración y reconocimiento terrestre (VERT), which translates ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV [Peru]

  Background UAV FAP UAV FAP is a family of Peruvian UAVs that have been developed by the Peruvian Air Force and the Centre for Research ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Land Exploration and Reconnaissance Vehicle (VERT) (Micro UAV) [Spain]

  Background VERT In June 2025, the Spanish Government announced a €72 million (US$82.5 million) investment in the Vehículo de exploración y reconocimiento terrestre (VERT), which translates to the land exploration ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Parrot Anafi (Singapore)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, the Singapore Army posted photographs on Facebook that showed the Anafi UAV used as training devices in a five-day ...

• Military UAS - small

  Thor [Israel]

  Background Various Contracts On 3 December 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced it had purchased “advanced drones and autonomous systems” from Elbit Systems in various ...

• Military UAS - small

  Domestically developed UAV [Mexican Navy]

  Background Domestic development In 2025, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced initiatives for the Army and Navy to independently develop UAV prototypes, as part of a broader ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Tempest 50 [USAF]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 18 December 2024, the US DoD announced that the USAF had awarded Firestorm Labs a $100 million Small Business Innovation Research ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  AR3 EVO

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the AR3 EVO is a small fixed-wing UAV from Tekever. The system is highly modular and can be configured in a ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  AR6

  Unveiled in mid-2026, the AR6 is an autonomous heavy-lift drone from Tekever. It features a unique digital-displacement hydraulic powertrain and has been designed from the ...

• Military UAS - small

  AR3

  The AR3, or AR3 Net Ray, is an autonomous small-UAS designed to support land-based and maritime missions.  In May 2025, the Royal Air Force announced ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

• Military UAS - small

  AR2 Carcará

  The AR2 Carcará is a hand- or catapult-launched mini-UAV designed to support search and rescue, surveillance and patrol operations in amphibious and maritime environments. It is ...

• Military UAS - mini

  AR4

  The AR4 is a hand-launched mini-UAS designed for rapid mobile deployment. Manufactured by Tekever, the UAS is suitable for both military and commercial ISTAR applications.  A ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8N

  The PT-8D is an IR system from Overwatch Imaging. It is fitted with multiple HD thermal cameras and has been designed to conduct missions at dusk ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8D

  Marketed as a cost-effective solution, the PT-8D is a wide-area search and ISR payload from Overwatch Imaging. It features an RGB colour camera and a ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8DN

  The PT-8DN is a versatile day-night payload from Overwatch Imaging.  It has dual RGB sensors of different focal lengths and an HD LWIR sensor. It also ...

• Military UAS - small

  Raybird

  Developed by Skyeton, the Raybird is a versatile, small-class, fixed-wing UAV. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have used the aircraft since late 2021. In September 2026, the US ...

• Military UAS - small

  VTOL UAV

  The Defence Technology Institute launched the VTOL UAV R&D; project in cooperation with the Naval Research and Development Office, Royal Thai Navy and private sector ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MCOM UAV

  The Mundo Compuesto (MCOM) UAV is a fixed-wing UAV designed to provide surveillance during both day and night for military and security force users. It uses ...

• UAS: Integrated systems - uncrewed

  UAV TRS

  Celestia’s UAV Tactical Recovery System (TRS) assures controlled and safe landing of a UAV at a pre-designated GPS location. It can be deployed on command ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  UAV Simulators

  Elbit Systems has developed simulation systems to train personnel in UAV operation, from generic UAV training for initial screening procedures up to full mission, high-fidelity ...