• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2019: GM fuelling army vehicles

  1st May 2019

  General Motors (GM) is pushing hard on electrification for autonomous vehicles and the company’s defence division is continuing its research into alternative fuel cell technology …

• Land Warfare

  Otokar develops AKREP II armoured vehicle family

  1st May 2019

  Otokar has developed a new generation family of AKREP II armoured vehicles, the company announced on 26 April. Otokar partnered with AxleTech to develop the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Sea-Air-Space 2019: High Eye scales up unmanned operations

  9th May 2019

  High Eye, manufacturer of the small UAS two blade helicopter system HEF32, is preparing to significantly expand its operations by way of relocating to premises …

• Land Warfare

  IDEF 2019: Turkish defence industry serious about green power

  1st May 2019

  Hybrid and electric power is gaining traction in Turkey with two of the nation’s defence companies displaying green vehicles at IDEF 2019 recognising high potential …

• Naval Warfare

  Sea Air Space 2019: Systel welcomes maritime processing demand

  10th May 2019

  The need for maritime operators to integrate ‘high end processing’ capabilities to their digital footprint is in huge demand, according to rugged computer and hardware …

• Naval Warfare

  Sea-Air-Space 2019: US Navy eyes submarine upgrades

  9th May 2019

  The US Navy has begun studying how a future version of the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine could better accommodate special operations forces and unmanned vessels, according …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia 2019: First Taiwanese submarine to be ready in 2026

  10th May 2019

  Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Submarines (IDS) will be built in a new facility inside the grounds of the CSBC Corporation in Kaohsiung harbour in southern Taiwan, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  First HAWK30 solar HAPS assembled

  30th April 2019

  AeroVironment has completed assembly of the first HAWK30 solar-powered, high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) UAS for its HAPSMobile joint venture with SoftBank, the company announced on 25 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Unmanned Systems Asia 2019: Volans-i seals Singapore package deal

  10th April 2019

  US-based unmanned systems provider Volans-I will begin performing visual line-of-site package delivery flights trials in Singapore at the end of April, as part of the …

• Land Warfare

  INKAS introduces right-hand drive Sentry APC

  1st May 2019

  INKAS has introduced a right-hand drive version of its Sentry armoured personnel carrier (APC), the company announced on 26 April. The Sentry APC is capable …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy to christen DDG 1002

  26th April 2019

  The US Navy is set to christen its newest Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer, the future USS Lyndon B Johnson (DDG 1002), at General Dynamics-Bath Iron …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2019: Electrafly’s flying machine ready to test

  2nd May 2019

  Whilst OEMs are developing pilotless technology demonstrators for the urban air mobility (UAM) market, one start-up, Electrafly is exploring the art of the possible with a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2019: Flying Sea Glider programme nears the end

  2nd May 2019

  A US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) programme to explore the technological feasibility of a swing-role UAV/UUV platform will enter flight and underwater tests in the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Unmanned Systems Asia 2019: Urban mobility urged to avert ‘dire’ straits

  12th April 2019

  The successful integration of optionally manned and unmanned systems into urban areas will require sustained collaboration with regulatory bodies in order to prove the safety …

• Defence Helicopter

  Finishing touches for Spanish Navy’s AB-212 upgrades

  18th April 2019

  Whilst delivery of the seven modernised AB-212 helicopters for the Spanish Navy is complete, Sener, one of the parties on the upgrade programme, continues in …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a “leap-ahead” in long-endurance, VTOL-capable ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Class 2 Tactical UAS [Ireland]

  Background EU Tender On 13 March 2024, the Irish Department of Defence released a planning notice on the EU tenders website, confirming that the Irish ...

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

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  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 to be ...

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

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

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

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

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

  Cargo UAV (Turkey)

  Programme Background Inception & Requirment Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) initiated a programme to procure VTOL-capable cargo drones in June 2018. These were planned for ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

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

  Aerobo Wing AS-VT02A [Malaysia]

  Background Requirment As reported by Shephard, in June 2021, Malaysia issued a tender for fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAVs. The tender stated that Malaysia ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

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

  Artillery UAV [Thailand]

  Programme Background Requirement & Replacement The Royal Thai Army (RTA) was understood to be seeking a new tactical UAV to replace four legacy Israel Aerospace Industries ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  QTP-UAV

  The Quad Tilt Prop UAV (QTP-UAV) is an electric platform that is designed to provide VTOL capability with high-speed horizontal flight. 

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

  Zala 421-22

  The Zala 421-22 is a rotary-wing UAV designed for ship- or land-based reconnaissance and surveillance, bomb damage assessment and real-time target acquisition. The VTOL UAV ...

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

  VU-R70

  The VU-R70 is a small fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV from Viettel. A gasoline engine powers its horizontal flight, while four electric motors give it a VTOL capability. The ...

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

  A-Hawk I (Cloud-1)

  Part of a strike-capable ISTAR series of A-Hawk platforms is the A-Hawk I (Cloud-1) VTOL developed by AVIC. Reports indicate that the A-Hawk I enables ...

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

  Zada

  Zada is a mini fixed-wing UAV designed for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) missions. It features tilt-rotor systems, which give it a VTOL capability.

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  CL-9

  The CL-9 is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV. It is fitted with two underwing pylons with electric brushless motors at each end powering rotors to provide ...

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

  CW-25D

  The CW-25D is VTOL capable UAV manufactured by Chengdu Jouav Automation Technology Co CW (JOUAV). It is a hybrid platform containing a 64cc two-stroke gasoline engine and electric ...

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

  PEN 35VE/VH

  The PEN 35VE/VH is a fixed-wing, VTOL-capable drone from Pen Aviation. Available in two variants, an electric and an electric hybrid, the UAV is designed for surveillance, ...

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

  Maya Mk1

  The Maya Mk1 is a small, electric VTOL UAV with a 'tail-sitting' design. It is an encased system that allows for safe operation in urban ...

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

  SR-10 VTOL

  Deftech showcased the SR-10 VTOL at DSA 2022. It has been locally designed in Malaysia to conduct aerial mapping, surveillance and line inspection missions. The hand-launched platform is powered ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Turac VTOL UAV

  The Turac is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV developed jointly by Havelsan and Istanbul Technical University Aerospace Research Center. It can be used for traditional military ISR ...

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

  Drako

  Drako is a quadrotor electric VTOL UAV suitable for close-range surveillance and reconnaissance on SF and police missions, especially in urban areas. It is available ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  XV-24A LightningStrike

  The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

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

  Rakshak VTOL

  The Rakshak VTOL is a fixed-wing UAV with an EO/IR sensor for ISR missions. Developed by TATA Advanced Systems, the UAV is VTOL-capable, allowing it to operate ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  H12 Poseidon

  The H12 Poseidon is the largest member of Swarmly's UAV family. Designed to compete with other theatre-level UAVs, the fixed-wing VTOL capable H12 integrates many payload options, such ...