• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment to expand Blackwing UAS programme

  13th October 2017

  AeroVironment has received a contract from the US Navy for continuation and expansion of its Blackwing small UAV programme, the company announced on 9 October. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2017: US Army eyes Nightwarden

  12th October 2017

  Alongside showcasing its Nightwarden UAS to the US Army for the first time at AUSA, Textron Systems has also made gains with its Shadow V2 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Silent Falcon cleared by Transport Canada

  10th October 2017

  Silent Falcon UAS Technologies' solar-electric, fixed-wing Silent Falcon UAS has been added to Transport Canada’s (TC) list of compliant Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This allows the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2017: Leonardo leads the fight against UAS threat

  11th October 2017

  Under an urgent requirement for the US Army Leonardo DRS has been awarded a $42 million contract for a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS). The C-UAS …

• Digital Battlespace

  RADA’s MHR supports ATHENA testing

  18th October 2017

  RADA Electronic Industries’ Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) has supported testing of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) prototype laser weapon system at White …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Gray Eagle production transitions to ER model

  13th October 2017

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has transitioned its production line from the MQ-1C Gray Eagle to its new long-range variant MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle extended …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy’s COBRA system achieves IOC

  13th October 2017

  The US Navy AN/DVS-1 Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) airborne mine detection system has achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC), Navsea announced on 10 October. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2017: Next-generation UAVs detailed (video)

  10th October 2017

  Aerovironment has detailed the latest iterations of its Puma and Raven UAS, with new datalink security, EO/IR and RF payloads and upgraded avionics module.  Shephard spoke with …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  CATEC develops new aerial manipulation technology

  10th October 2017

  The Center for Advanced Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) has developed a new technology which enables UAS to carry out industrial contact inspections, it was announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Reaper Block 5s enter combat

  23rd October 2017

  As the US Air Force (USAF) transitions to new Block 5 MQ-9 Reaper UAS, the aircraft continues to operate in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Air Hopper demonstrated to IDF

  20th October 2017

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is continuing the development of its Air Hopper VTOL UAS platform, having recently completed a proof of concept demonstration to Israeli …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2017: Redkite-I soars to final testing

  11th October 2017

  A new wide-area sensor payload developed for Insitu’s Integrator UAS is expected to complete final testing this year, paving the way for operators to begin …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2017: US Army to field C-UAS radar

  10th October 2017

  The US Army’s AN/TPQ-53 radar used to detect and locate enemy in-direct fire is expected to be ready for fielding with an expanded counter-UAS capability …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAVOS enhances GPS spoofing protection for UAVs

  13th October 2017

  UAVOS has improved the GPS spoofing identification algorithms for its UAVs, protecting against jamming by the most advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems, the company announced …

• Land Warfare

  Upgunning vehicles drives armaments market

  20th October 2017

  The ongoing trend for armies to increase vehicle lethality through the addition of larger calibre weaponry, as well as the growing utilisation of ‘smart’ programmable …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  DEF129 Nano UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background DEF129 The Australian Ground Service has combined various army procurement efforts under the DEF129 programme to increase the abundance and proliferation of UAVs ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Aeromobila A Pilotaggio Remoto (Mini) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement Released on 5 August 2021, the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023 announced a programme aimed at acquiring a mini-UAS capable ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Aeromobila A Pilotaggio Remoto (Micro) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement Released on 5 August 2021, the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023 announced a programme aimed at acquiring a micro-UAS capable ...

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

  RQ-20 Puma (Belgium)

  Programme Background Requirement The Belgian MoD outlined plans to procure more mini and tactical UAS in its Strategic Vision for Defence published in 2016. According ...

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

• 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 - small

  Puma 2 AE (Germany)

  Programme Background The Germany navy had an urgent requirement for three UAS required for reconnaissance and identification in maritime operations. A platform was required that ...

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

  Mini UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

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

  General-Purpose UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background Banned As reported by Shephard in August 2023, in the past, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) used commercial UAS from companies such as DJI for ...

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

  Indigenous UAS (South Korea)

  Programme Background South Korea's Total UAS Budget The government of South Korea wants to grow its domestic UAS industry. To do this, it was reported in ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Long Range Reconnaissance (LRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Under its Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) programme, the US Army plans to procure a Family of Small UAS (FoSUAS) to provide an organic ISR capability ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Long Range Reconnaissance (LRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Under its Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) programme, the US Army plans to procure a Family of Small UAS (FoSUAS) to provide an organic ISR capability ...

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

  MALE UAV (Finland)

  Programme Background Defence Report 2017 The Government's Defence Report 2017 stated that Finland's fighter capability could not be replaced wholesale by UAVs. Therefore, the FDF ...

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

  Anafi [Sweden]

  Programme Background Sweden announced on 7 February 2024 that Defence Material Works had procured drones for the Home Guard on behalf of the Armed Forces. ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Coastal Ranger Commando Vessels [Norway]

  Programme Background Requirements According to Naval News, the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Commando is seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of new fast attack/interceptor craft. The ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Maveric UAS

  The Maveric is a small, lightweight UAS designed to perform covert ISR missions at the tactical level. In order to camouflage the drone, its profile ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  UAS Academy

  IAI has established a UAS Academy for training and certification of operators and technicians. The academy was established to meet a perceived need for skilled ...

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

  UAS 100

  The UAS 100 is an autonomous, three-engined platform, modular UAS manufactured by Thales in partnership with Issoire Aviation, Hionos and with the support of the ...

• Lynx UAS

  The Lynx is an sUAS used for large-area precision agriculture and surveying and has an endurance of 3h with the standard mapping payload. Its hand-launched ...

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

  Heavy UAS

  The Heavy UAS, or Cargo Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, is, as its name suggests, a cargo-carrying UAV.  Manufactured by Honeywell Aerospace, the VTOL capable UAV's horizontal flight ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  MAUI

  The Mobile Application for UAS Identification (MAUI) is an acoustic sensor that operates on smartphones using the microphone to detect Group 1 (small, lightweight) UAVs, ...

• Freya

  An easy-to-use system which requires minimal training, Freya can be operated in difficult situations and weather conditions, including strong winds and mountainous areas. A tracker ...

• Hex Mini UAS

  The Hex Mini is a hexacopter UAS capable of autonomous operation. Launched in under 10min, the system is constructed of sturdy materials and supports gyrostabilised ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  UAS Operator Training

  To help in the development of training applications for UAS pilots, Presagis offers a suite of integrated COTS software that can be used for the ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  UAS Mission Trainer

  The UAS Mission Trainer combines an open architecture with COTS hardware and simulation software that minimises the use of proprietary designs to provide a platform-agnostic ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Howler C-UAS

  Developed by Raytheon, the Howler is a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS), which includes a Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a command-and-control system, and a Coyote ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Cobham C-UAS

  Unveiled at the AUVSI 2017 trade show in Dallas, Texas, the Cobham C-UAS primarily consists of wideband omnidirectional, directional helix (single- or dual-band), directional flat ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Skylock C-UAS

  Skylock, an Avnon Group company, has developed a C-UAS system that is intended to bring sensors, jammers and a laser effector into a single deployable ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Small UAS CISR

  Cubic's Secure ISR Radio (SCISR) for small unmanned aerial systems is a rugged common data link (CDL) multi-band (L, S, and C) full-duplex transceiver for ...

• UAS: Integrated systems - uncrewed

  AsteRx-m2 UAS

  The AsteRx-m2 UAS is a GNSS receiver designed to be easily integrated into UAS applications to provide centimetre-level RTK positioning. The system’s standard connectors enable ...