• Uncrewed Vehicles

  On-board video processing integrated with Skate SUAS

  22nd October 2012

  Aurora Flight Sciences and SRI International Sarnoff have announced the integration of the SRI Sarnoff DL Micro digital data link and video processor into the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed Martin-led team to develop new autonomous technology

  9th October 2012

  A team led by Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract to explore highly advanced autonomous technologies aboard an unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aurora's Skate poised for SWAT team operations

  3rd October 2012

  Aurora Flight Sciences has announced that it has recently signed an agreement with the Boston area Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (MetroLEC) to establish a programme …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment Wasp AE to be fitted with secure GPS capability

  19th September 2012

  Rockwell Collins has been selected by AeroVironment to provide its MicroGRAM GPS receiver for the Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS), bringing secure, jam-resistant …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ILA 2012: Rheinmetall hybrid VTOL UAV makes debut

  11th September 2012

  Rheinmetall is debuting a hybrid UAV with VTOL capability at the ILA Airshow in Berlin. The Tactical Utility TU-150 is being jointly-developed by Rheinmetall Airborne …

• Defence Helicopter

  PZL-Swidnik reveals optionally piloted version of the SW-4

  4th September 2012

  PZL-Świdnik has taken the covers off an optionally piloted version (OPV) of its SW-4 light helicopter at the MSPO event in Kielce, Poland on 3 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: LM demonstrates new small UAS

  9th August 2012

  Lockheed Martin is to demonstrate its Desert Hawk III, Desert Hawk Extended Endurance Range (EER) and new quadrotor UAV at the upcoming US Army Expeditionary …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: MLB goes vertical

  8th August 2012

  MLB is using the venue of AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America to spotlight its recent development efforts on its new Vertical – Bat (V-Bat) UAV …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: JIEDDO outlines unmanned airborne initiatives

  6th August 2012

  Speaking at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2012, George Pappas, from the US Department of Defense Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) Capability Acquisition …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: Silent Falcon solar electric UAS launched

  6th August 2012

  Silent Falcon UAS Technologies and Bye Aerospace have launched the Silent Falcon solar electric UAS for man-portable long-endurance ISR missions. Unveiled on 6 August at …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: IMT announces partnership with Leptron

  6th August 2012

  Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT), part of the Vitec Group’s Videocom division, announced the formation of a technology partnership with Leptron, a small VTOL UAS manufacturer, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Farnborough 2012: Industry awaits K-Max decision

  8th July 2012

  Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace are awaiting a decision by the US Marine Corps (USMC) as to whether it wishes to extend the deployment of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Eurosatory 2012: Thales pushes complementary asset approach to ISR

  8th June 2012

  Following the launch of the company’s Spy’Arrow UAV, Thales is moving toward a complementary asset approach to ISR by integrating its Spy’ and Margot families …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment to deploy SUAS for DACA NOI

  29th May 2012

  AeroVironment has announced that it will employ its small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) to demonstrate aerial communications capabilities for the US Federal Communications Commission’s Deployable …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Zala Aero upgrades GCS and simulator technology

  28th May 2012

  Zala Aero has unveiled its newest GCS control and video 3D simulator, which has been designed to train and test pilots on different platforms and …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

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

  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, on-demand ...

• Military UAS - small

  Aerosonde (Qatar)

  Programme Background The Qatar MoD has established the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center to carry out ISR missions for the Qatar Armed Forces. Among its roles ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

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

  Programme 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  DEF129 (Small UAS) [Australia]

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

• Military UAS - tactical

  Nightwarden (Qatar)

  Programme Background The Qatar MoD has established the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center to carry out ISR missions for the Qatar Armed Forces. Among its roles ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  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 ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Programme Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV that ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Replicator 2 [US]

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

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  K1000ULE [USMC]

  Programme Background Contact Award After a comprehensive down-selection evaluation, Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE drone won the USN's PMA 263 contract in April 2024. The company will now provide the USN ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Micro VTOL [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Programme Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Fixed-Wing VTOL UAV (Malaysia)

  Programme Background Tender Issued As reported by Shephard, on 18 June 2021, Malaysia issued a tender for fixed-wing hybrid VTOL UAVs.  Requirement The tender stated that Malaysia required ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Scout

  The Scout is a VTOL sUAS designed for public safety, and commercial and industrial users. The system can be carried and operated by one person. 

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Percepto

  The Percepto is an all-in-one aerial solution for autonomous security, safety and inspection operations 24/7. The system operates autonomously to fulfil preplanned missions and responds ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - rotary-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Counter-UAS systems, Land: Defensive Systems - DF systems

  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 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  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 - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  C-100

  The C100 is a portable, packable mini rotary-wing UAV designed for long-range ISR and cargo-carrying tasks. Manfuaucted by Performance Drone Works (PDW), it features swappable payloads, an open ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  EL-005

  The EL-005 is a two-stroke Otto cycle spark-ignited engine for unmanned aircraft, which is optimised for use with jet fuels. It has field-demonstrated levels of ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Penguin B VTOL

  The Penguin B VTOL is a variant of the Penguin B platform manufactured by Edge Autonomy. Announced in June 2021, the variant is a reliable, long-endurance ...