• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Digital Wasp AE SUAS introduced

  22nd May 2012

  AeroVironment has launched a digital upgrade to its Wasp SUAS, which has already received an order from the USAF. Announced during the Special Operations Forces …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SOFEX 2012: KADDB debuts latest unmanned offering

  8th May 2012

  The King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) unveiled its first indigenous VTOL UAS at the Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) on 8 May. …

• Digital Battlespace

  USMC orders RQ-11B Raven SUAS

  1st May 2012

  AeroVironment has announced that it has received an order from the United States Marine Corps (USMC) for the RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS). …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy gives go-ahead for Fire-X

  25th April 2012

  The US Navy has given Northrop Grumman, Bell Helicopter and Rolls Royce the green light to deliver eight Fire-X VTOL UAVs in a programme dubbed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  More Puma AE UAV orders from US military

  20th April 2012

  AeroVironment has announced a number of new orders for its Puma AE small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS), including a firm fixed-price order valued at $20,430,433 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Puma AE UAV ordered for US Air Force

  19th April 2012

  AeroVironment  has announced that it has received a firm fixed-price order from the US Air Force (USAF) for its Puma AE small unmanned aircraft systems …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA12: Denel adds to UAS family

  18th April 2012

  Denel is currently developing the new Hungwe SUAS in an effort to develop a small system to add to its family of unmanned systems. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA12: SCS nears design completion

  17th April 2012

  Malaysia's SCS is approaching completion of several new UAV designs targeted at the local market.. Speaking to Shephard on 17 April at DSA 2012 in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA12: Turkey turns to indigenous UAV capability

  16th April 2012

  Turkish manufacturer TAI is advancing its HALE UAV design in an effort to replace the air force's Israeli UAV due to political tension between the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AAI wins $600 million MEUAS II award

  13th April 2012

  AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems has announced that it has been awarded the competitive Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MEUAS) II award from the US Special Operations …

• Military Logistics

  NDIA Logistics 2012: Logistics back in fashion, senior official boasts

  27th March 2012

  The military logistics sector has been described as the 'newest and coolest' market in defence, according to the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Skate SUAS demonstrates border security innovation

  22nd March 2012

  Aurora Flight Sciences’ Skate small unmanned air vehicle system (SUAS) has been awarded first place in the 2012 Border Security Technology/Product Challenge at the recently …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI Israel: Innocon touting tiny trends

  22nd March 2012

  The CEO of Innocon has outlined the struggles faced by specialist Israeli UAV manufacturers in the current competitive market. Speaking to Shephard during the AUVSI …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI Israel: Lessons learned generate mature UK UAV solutions

  20th March 2012

  A British Army officer has claimed that the UK’s fleet of UAVs are now being effectively controlled in Afghanistan following previous errors made in their …

• Defence Notes

  RT pursues civil aerostat capability

  20th March 2012

  Aeronautics subsidiary RT is preparing to take its Skystar 180 and 300 aerostats to Nimes, France on 24 March to evaluate its transition from a …

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 ...