• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Subscale LightningStrike completes flight test

  6th April 2017

  Aurora's XV-24A LightningStrike VTOL XPlane subscale demonstrator has completed its flight test programme at Webster Outlying Field in Southern Maryland in the US, the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Neva Aerospace introduces Vlinder concept

  31st March 2017

  Neva Aerospace has introduced a new heavy-duty aerial robotic platform (ARP) concept called Vlinder.The company is developing the technology to meet the needs of industrial …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Gilo seeking Chinese JV

  9th March 2017

  The recent investment of $30 million into UK-based Gilo Industries by Chinese technology group Kuang-Chi represent the first of its kind by the company, following …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ​Heli-Expo 2017: VSR700 ready to fly

  7th March 2017

  The shipborne VSR700, a unmanned helicopter VTOL system, is fast approaching its first flight without a safety pilot.The aircraft is derived from a light civil …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Avalon 2017: ADF progresses UAV capability

  6th March 2017

  Australia's latest acquisition - the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 system - was on display at the Avalon Air Show near Melbourne, where the three branches of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SkyRanger UAS flies BVLOS

  28th February 2017

  Aeryon's SkyRanger UAS has carried out a beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight at the Foremost UAS Range in Canada, the company announced on 24 February.The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aero India 2017: Skeldar looks to ‘Make in India’

  16th February 2017

  UMS Skeldar is making a concerted bid for the Indian market with its V-200 at Aero India 2017 in Bangalore, where the vertical take-off and …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australian navy selects Camcopter S-100

  6th February 2017

  Schiebel has been awarded a contract by the Royal Australian Navy for the supply of the Camcopter S-100 UAV and three years of follow-on contractor …

• Special Operations

  Special Forces target ISR relay capability

  28th November 2016

  Unmanned vehicles manufacturer PSI Tactical Robotics and communications specialist Harris Corporation have joined forces to provide a niche capability for the special operations community, the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LDS introduces SpectroDrone

  18th November 2016

  Laser Detect System (LDS) has unveiled a UAS-operated system designed to detect explosives, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other chemical compounds from standoff distances, called …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aurora working on unmanned Huey technology

  15th November 2016

  Aurora Flight Sciences’ Tactical Autonomous Aerial Logistics System (TALOS) is set to be integrated on a UH-1H helicopter, the company announced on 10 November. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Industry splurge on new drones, payloads

  3rd November 2016

  The drone industry revealed a series of new platforms and payloads at the recent Commercial UAV Expo, held in Las Vegas from 31 October to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aerosonde HQ small footprint, big travels

  20th October 2016

  Textron Systems has demonstrated its Aerosonde hybrid quad (HQ) SUAS variant in front of existing and prospective customers from the military and commercial sectors. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Euronaval 2016: New VTOL UAV for French Navy

  20th October 2016

  The focus on unmanned systems at Euronaval continued on Thursday as DCNS and Airbus Helicopters revealed a design for a new VTOL system for the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aeryon introduces new UAS payloads

  18th October 2016

  Aeryon Labs has introduced an integrated UAS onboard computing platform called Vector, designed for real-time video processing, the company announced on 12 October. Vector is …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, ...

• CUAS - jammers

  Airbase Air Defence Systems CUAS [US]

  Background The US Air Force's Budget Documentation for FY 2027 included $1.529 billion for Air Base Air Defence, part of which was to be used for ...

• Military UAS - small

  Battalion reconnaissance UAS [US Army]

  Background Call for solutions In August 2026, the US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal issued a call for solutions, seeking a new battlefield reconnaissance ...

• Military UAS - mini

  DEF129 (Small UAS Plus) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The army wanted up to 17 SUAS+ systems with a life of six years. The tender said the UAV would be issued ...

• Military UAS - small

  Aerosonde Mk 4.7 [Qatar]

  Background Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) At DIMDEX 2016, a QAR 54.7 million ($14.97 million) MoU between the Qatar Armed Forces and the US company Textron Systems for ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - small

  Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR) [US Army]

  Background Requirement The US Army approved the Co-Level SUAS DR acquisition in June 2023 to supply Brigade Combat Teams with an “immediate, commercially available capability” to meet ...

• Military UAS - mini

  DEF129 (Small UAS) [Australia]

  Background Requirement The Australian Army identified a need for a small UAS to provide an organic ISR capability to units operating at the tactical level.  ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  Scorpio 500 [US]

  Background Contract Award In December 2024, XTEND was awarded a US$8.8 million contract by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for its Scorpio 500. As reported by ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Replicator 2 [US]

  Background 1.0 The Replicator programme was a US effort to field thousands of attritable, autonomous systems across multiple domains before the end of 2025 to ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Medium Range Tactical (MRT) [USMC]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) In February 2026, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) issued an RFI for solutions for a Medium Range Tactical (MRT) ...

• Military UAS - mini

  X10D (Atlantic Diving Supply) [US Army]

  Background Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS) Skydio announced in March 2026 that the US Army had placed a $52 million order to acquire over 2,500 X10D ...

• Military UAS - mini

  VTOL-Capable Group 2 UAV [USA]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) In March 2026, the USAF issued an RFI seeking a VTOL-capable UAV capable of operating in austere environments to support ...

• Military UAS - small

  Onboard Mini-Drone Systems (SMDM) (69-90) [France]

  Background Contract Announcement On 3 February 2026, Airbus, Survey Copter’s parent company, announced that the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) had ordered the Aliaca VTOL variant ...

• Military UAS - mini

  U&C reconnaissance drones [US Army]

  Methodology PGO The programme has been assigned a PGO of 100%, as a contract has been awarded. Unit cost It has not been clarified what ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Camcopter S-300 [South Korea]

  Programme Background Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) On 18 January 2023, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Northop Grumman at a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerosonde SUAS

  The Aerosonde SUAS comes from a long line of capable aircraft. The Aerosonde SUAS, like the Aerosonde fleet of aircraft, operates through contractor-owned and operated ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerosonde HQ SUAS

  The Aerosonde Hybrid Quadcopter (HQ) SUAS is the VTOL version of the Aerosonde SUAS. It combines the capabilities of a multi-rotor platform with the efficiency ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Skylark II

  The Skylark II is a fixed-wing UAV that can be used for various military and security applications, including tactical covert surveillance and reconnaissance, perimeter security ...

• Military UAS - mini

  CorvoX

  The CorvoX is a fixed-wing drone developed domestically by SYPAQ Systems. Unlike its sibling, the Corvo PPDS, the UAV is not made from cardboard. The drone's development ...

• Military UAS - small

  VAPOR CLE

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the VAPOR Combat Long Endurance (CLE) is the newest version of AeroVironment's (AV) rotary-wing VAPOR offerings. Compared to the older versions, VAPOR CLE ...

• Military UAS - small

  PD-1

  The People’s Drone-1 (PD-1) is a fixed-wing small UAV manufactured by Ukrspecsystems. It is modular and can be given VTOL capability in around 15 minutes. ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Skylark I-LEX

  The Skylark I-LEX is a mini-UAV manufactured by Elbit Systems.  Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2015, the UAV is designed for ISR operations. It enables ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  T-Hawk Micro Air Vehicle

  The Honeywell T-Hawk Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is a VTOL sUAS that has been used by the US military and the British Army to assist ...

• Military UAS - mini

  C-100

  The C-100 is a portable, packable mini rotary-wing UAV designed for long-range ISR and cargo-carrying tasks. Manufactured by Performance Drone Works (PDW), it features swappable payloads, an open ...

• Military UAS - small

  Thor

  Thor is a VTOL small-UAV manufactured by Elbit Systems. The platform is designed for ISR missions and features a real-time HD data link and unique ...

• CUAS - jammers

  HPEM

  The High-Power Electro-Magnetics (HPEM) is a C-UAS system developed by Diehl Defence. It is intended to protect both military installations and public events against threats ...

• Military UAS - small

  Ghost-X

  The Ghost X, or Ghost-X, is an upgraded variant of Anduril's small, rotary-wing Ghost UAV. It features an increased payload capacity and longer flight time ...

• CUAS - detectors

  PATS

  The Passive Aerial Threat Surveillance (PATS) sensor produced by Adsys Controls is a detection and tracking system capable of monitoring airspace for extremely low-signature airborne ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

• EO/IR systems

  STAG5-EOXR

  The STAG5-EOXR is a member of the STAG5 family of SUAS Tactical Agile Gimbals, designed for intelligence, surveillance, and targeting applications in Group 1-3 UAV ...