• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Spanish Navy first customer for Skeldar UAV

  11th July 2013

  The Spanish Navy has confirmed that it will be the first customer to operate Saab’s Skeldar V-200 VTOL UAV. Saab announced that it had been …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  India debuts manpack VTOL UAVs for HADR

  2nd July 2013

  Search and rescue agencies operating in Northern India have successfully used man-portable VTOL UAVs for the first time in humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HADR) operations, it …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show 2013: AgustaWestland’s Project Zero makes debut in Paris

  19th June 2013

  AgustaWestland has displayed its ‘Project Zero’ all-electric tiltrotor technology demonstrator for the first time at the Paris Air Show.  James Wang, AgustaWestland’s vice president of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV Factory unveils electric Penguin BE UAV

  13th June 2013

  UAV Factory has unveiled an electric version of its Penguin B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), called the Penguin BE. The system has already secured a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aeryon Labs unveils new SkyRanger SUAS

  24th May 2013

  Aeryon Labs has introduced a new small unmanned aerial system (SUAS) called the Aeryon SkyRanger. The vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV has been designed …

• Military Logistics

  Fort Bliss microgrid enters demonstration phase

  17th May 2013

  The first US Department of Defense (DoD) grid-tied microgrid integrating both renewable resources and energy storage has been officially commissioned by the US Army and …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IMDEX 2013: SHARC makes waves in Asia

  15th May 2013

  Liquid Robotics is increasing its presence in the Asia-Pacific defence market as it gains interest from regional countries wanting a powerful USV to survey their …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IMDEX 2013: Asia sees unmanned market worth

  14th May 2013

  With UAVs entering the forefront of Asian militaries’ thinking, the potential market over the next ten years for ship-based tactical UAVs is predicted to fetch …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IDEF 2013: TAI pursues Anka production contract

  8th May 2013

  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is confident it has resolved the technical issues which saw a prototype Anka MALE UAV crash during acceptance testing in September …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK furthers unmanned engineering efforts

  3rd May 2013

  Despite an overall perception of a British engineering industry in stagnation, efforts are underway in the unmanned arena to develop next generation systems to match …

• Military Logistics

  FlightSafety wins KC-46 Aircrew Training System contract

  2nd May 2013

  FlightSafety has been selected to provide the Aircrew Training System for the KC-46 tanker transport aircraft to the US Air Force. The contract will see …

• Military Logistics

  Electric Boat awarded sub support contract modification

  23rd April 2013

  It was announced on 22 April that the US Navy had awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $20 million contract modification for nuclear-maintenance work for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LAAD 2013: Santos Lab unveils VTOL UAV

  11th April 2013

  Santos Lab used the LAAD exhibition in Rio de Janeiro to publicly unveil a new VTOL UAV. Dubbed the ORBIS, the UAV features a quadrotor …

• Naval Warfare

  LAAD 2013: Brazil reveals submarine design details

  9th April 2013

  The PWR reactor design for the Brazilian Navy’s future nuclear-powered submarine (SN-Br) has been completed. A model of the design, known as the 2131-R, and …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Liquid Robotics launches new hybrid Wave Glider

  8th April 2013

  Liquid Robotics has launched the newest version of its Wave Glider USV, the hybrid-powered SV3.  The USV stems from the baseline design of the company’s …

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 - 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 - 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

  Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Goal The Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) programme stems from the Military Sealift Command and Fleet Forces Command identifying, in 2018, a ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

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

  Programme 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, ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  Parrot Anafi (Singapore)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, the Singapore Army posted photographs on Facebook that showed the Anafi UAV used as training devices in a five-day ...

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

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

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

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• 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 ...

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

  M Solar-X [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 ...

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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 ...

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

  Loong 1

  The Loong 1 is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing mini-UAV powered by an electric motor. Manufactured by LoongUAV, the platform is designed for ISR missions and can ...

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

  H10 Poseidon

  The H10 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV manufactured by Swamrly. Due to the UAV's electric propulsion system, small-radar cross-section, lack of detachable thermal signature and ability to operate ...