• Air Warfare

  March drone digest: Long-range, low-cost loitering munitions are changing warfare economics

  1st April 2026

  The effective use of the Shahed-136 in the Iran war has highlighted the need for countries to acquire a domestically produced, low-cost, long-range loitering munition, with the US, Turkey and European nations all at various stages of developing a similar capability.

• Air Warfare

  Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up

  26th October 2026

  Quantum Systems’s Ukraine-made interceptor SPYS is thought to cost approximately 10 times less than Russia's jet-powered uncrewed aerial systems and is being produced at scale.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering’s EagleStrike aims for 2027 early-stage production

  3rd February 2026

  The new loitering munition from ST Engineering, unveiled at the Singapore Airshow for the first time, is intended for use against high-value targets such as lightly armoured vehicles.

• Air Warfare

  Edge and Indra to form manufacturing entity to meet European loitering munition demand

  15th January 2026

  Once approved by shareholders, the newly established manufacturing company will be developed in Spain and will look to address the burgeoning demand for loitering munitions from Spain and the rest of Europe.

• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: Helicopters and CUAS set to dominate as Europe advances rearmament efforts

  4th June 2026

  The biennial show in Paris will focus heavily on autonomous technology, counter-drone solutions and helicopters, as countries ramp up defence budgets and focus on modernising defence capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  SpearUAV to deliver 1,000 loitering munitions to extend armoured vehicle capability

  4th May 2026

  The company's Multi Canister Launcher can deploy its Viper system from multiple military platforms, boosting operational flexibility.

• Air Warfare

  France earmarks further $11.6 billion for missiles and drones amid rearmament push

  9th April 2026

  The revised funding allocation will see up to 23% of the additional budget put towards stockpiles of munitions, with the country’s GDP spending expected to reach 2.5% by 2030.

• 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.

• 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.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2026: companies adapt munitions and missiles for greater effect at lower costs

  22nd October 2026

  Rather than developing entirely new weapons, defence companies are looking to build on existing weapons and systems to deliver greater capability, control costs and accelerate fielding.

• 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.

• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Anduril pitches Thunder as force multiplier for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache

  20th July 2026

  Anduril has revealed Thunder, an autonomous tiltrotor rotorcraft designed as a loyal wingman for the Boeing Apache attack helicopter, ahead of Farnborough International Airshow 2026.

• Land Warfare

  Textron unveils a smaller, low-cost variant of the Ripsaw family of UGVs

  29th April 2026

  Ripsaw M1 has been designed to support the US Marine Corps’ littoral missions by carrying diverse types of payloads and performing multiple missions. Shephard spoke with Textron to find out more.

• Air Warfare

  UK air focus: Drone spending trails European frontline states despite $10.46 billion valuation

  16th July 2026

  Despite the UK having the third-largest military UAV market in Europe, the country appears to be underinvesting in the capability relative to the size of its economy, particularly when compared with Baltic and eastern European states.

• Air Warfare

  France air focus: Lower-cost sovereign capabilities propel $11.38 billion UAV market

  5th June 2026

  France is estimated to be Europe’s second-highest spender on UAVs, with a market focused on domestic production, loitering munitions and lower-cost sovereign systems. Its spending profile highlights substantial future market opportunities while reflecting broader industry trends.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 1 [Taiwan]

  Programme Background 2023 At Taichung in March 2023, NCSIST unveiled the loitering munition. The munition showed the country's focus on asymmetric capabilities to defend itself ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Loitering munitions

  Hero-30 [Italy]

  Background Italian Budget As revealed by the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023, a new procurement programme to acquire a loitering munition began ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Sweden]

  Background Uncrewed acquisition package The Swedish Ministry of Defence announced a SEK 4 billion ($450 million) acquisition package for various types of uncrewed systems in Janurary 2026, with ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) [India]

  Programme Background Kadet Defence Systems announced in May 2024 that 50 of its Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) drones would be delivered to the Indian Armed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Special Mission Brigade) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events such ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Brazilian Navy]

  Background Growth Acceleration Plan (PAC) As reported by Shephard, in August 2023, the Brazilian government announced plans to invest BRL 52.8 billion ($10.6 billion) in new ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-range loitering munitions (Framework Contract) [Germany]

  Background Framework contract value Hartpunkt, reporting in March 2026, noted that the German Army has a €2.4 billion ($2.83 billion) framework contract for the procurement of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition (Royal Navy) [UK]

  Background Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) As the Royal Navy stated in 2022, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) are “interchangeable modules that can be fitted to ...

• Loitering munitions

  N-Raven / IRIX [Greece]

  Programme Background Unveiled during the Defence Exhibition Athens (DEFEA 2023) exhibition, IRIX is a Greek version of the N-Raven loitering munition developed by Paramount in ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Portugal]

  Background Drone testing In 2025, at the Santa Margarida Military Camp, various flight tests were conducted within the scope of the STRONG IMPACT 25 Artillery Exercise ...

• Loitering munitions

  Testing Loitering Munitions [Germany]

  Background Three Tested Models In April 2023, Germany reportedly ordered three different loitering munition systems to assess further their suitability for use by the German Armed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deep-strike, low-cost, loitering munition [Turkey]

  Background Effectiveness of the capability Following the launch of Operation Epic Fury on 28 February 2026, which marked the beginning of the 2026 Iran war, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Jaser [Saudi Arabia]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Serb Advanced Industries confirmed in 2026 that the Jeser loitering munition was being produced for the Saudi Armed Forces, with multiple ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  ALX Loitering Munition

  At BEDEX 2026 in Brussels, ALX Systems introduced its loitering munition. The UAV is a sovereign Belgian aircraft developed to meet the requirements of the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 1

  In March 2023, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) unveiled a tube-launched loitering munition known as the Loitering Munition 1. Similar to the configuration ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 2

  The so-called Loitering Munition 2 is an evolution of the Chien Hsiang. Manfuaucted by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST),,the system is ...

• Loitering munitions

  VTOL Loitering Munition

  As its name suggests, the VTOL Loitering Munition is a VTOL-capable loitering munition. The UAV is manufactured by Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace, operating from Bangalore. ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Havoc

  The Havoc is an attack UAV manufactured by Astra Systems for long-range strikes and operations that require increased lethality. The Havoc comes in various variants: the ...

• Loitering munitions

  DEV-3

  The DEV-3 is an Armenian loitering munition manufactured by Davaro. Visually similar to Isreal Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Harop, the platform is fitted with a 10kg ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Lanius

  The Lanius is a micro-UAV and loitering munition manufactured by Elbit Systems. It can conduct BLOS ISR and attack missions autonomously in complex environments, a capability ...

• Loitering munitions

  Green Dragon loitering munition

  The Green Dragon is a silent, tactical, low-cost loitering munition system designed to provide small ground units and SOFs with significant situational awareness and firepower ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  Hunter 2

  The Hunter 2 is a mini-UAV and loitering munition unveiled by EDGE subsidiary HALCON at the Dubai Airshow 2021. The platform is tube-launched and is ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  Papydrone-1800

  The Papydrone-1800 is a low-cost loitering munition and UAV that is primarily constructed from cardboard. Manufactured by Peach, a Korean startup, the drone is designed to be ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Viper 300

  Viper 300 is a tube-launched loitering munition from SpearUAV. Part of the wider Viper family of drones, the loitering munition is designed to equip the dismounted soldier with ...

• Loitering munitions

  HAASTA

  The HAASTA is a loitering munition and UAV revealed at MSPO 2023.  Designed by Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation in collocation with Eurotech, the loitering munition is primarily designed ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-30

  The HERO-30 is a short-range loitering munition manufactured by UVision. It is man-pack portable and can be deployed from a canister within minutes. Once airborne, ...

• Military UAS - small

  Combat Drone

  The Combat Drone is an in-development small fixed-wing platform from Rheinmetall.  Based on the Luna NG, the catapult-launched system is designed to be operated as a ...

• Loitering munitions

  RAM 2

  The Ram 2, or RAM II, is a loitering munition manufactured by a collaboration of Ukrainian companies.  Based on the Leleka-100 UAV, the loitering munition can carry several ...