• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK, France conduct trials with counter-UAV system

  19th May 2015

  Three British technology companies say they have produced the first integrated counter-UAV defence system, having recently conducted trials with both the UK and French Ministry …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: USS Fort Worth makes itself at home in Changi

  19th May 2015

  The Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth departed San Diego on 17 November 2014 to begin her 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore, arriving …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Insitu shows off UAV control station

  19th May 2015

  Insitu Pacific is demonstrating the Insitu Common Open mission Management Command and Control (ICOMC2) ground control station, which allows one operator to manage multiple UAVs, …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Asia connects booming regional naval market

  19th May 2015

  A profound shift in the balance of power has led to the reshaping of the global landscape in terms of defence spending, with Asia-Pacific emerging …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: USN confirms LCS deployment plans

  16th May 2015

  The US Navy (USN) has publicised its plans for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) forward deployments to Singapore, with a spokesperson confirming to Shephard that four …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Kaman receives purchase orders for JPFs

  14th May 2015

  Kaman's Aerospace segment has been awarded multiple commercial sale purchase orders for Joint Programmable Fuzes (JPF) worth $68 million, due to be delivered in 2015 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China becoming global centre for consumer UAV production

  14th May 2015

  Start-up firms in China are looking to tap into the success of established in-country UAV firms such as DJI, whose products account for 70% of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  NW-44 UAV engine undergoes flight testing

  13th May 2015

  Northwest UAV's (NWUAV’s) NW-44 UAV engine has been successfully integrated into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and completed the first round of flight tests with …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015 (video): CAE promotes virtues of TigerShark XP

  12th May 2015

  In conjunction with Navmar Applied Sciences Corp, CAE displayed its TigerShark XP ground control station at the AUVSI exhibition in Atlanta at the beginning of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015 (video): Big fans of the Hummingbird

  11th May 2015

  Allen Bishop, the founder of Reference Technologies, tells Shephard about the company's Hummingbird ducted fan-powered UAV on display at the AUVSI exhibition in Atlanta. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV Vision gimbal selected for Airbus Zephyr 8

  8th May 2015

  The solar-powered Zephyr 8 is part of the High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) programme being conducted by Airbus Defence and Space, and in early May the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015: Product diversity crucial for market survivability

  7th May 2015

  Product and service diversity are crucial for maintaining market position, officials from UAV Solutions said, attending the AUVSI conference in Atlanta. UAV Solutions was present …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015: FAA opens the skies, slowly…

  6th May 2015

  As hundreds of companies showcase their unmanned credentials at AUVSI in Atlanta, the US Federal Aviation Administration used the event to announce that three firms …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  CPI awarded MALE UAV antenna contract

  6th May 2015

  Communications & Power Industries' (CPI) Malibu Division has been awarded a $3.5 million contract to supply advanced antenna products for a medium altitude long endurance …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015: NASA moves like Greased Lightning

  5th May 2015

  NASA's Langley Research Center is moving its Greased Lightning GL-10 electric VTOL prototype into endurance testing after proving it can successfully transition from vertical to …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  Programme Background  Relationship to the Heavy Lift Challange The Royal Navy (RN) embarked on the Heavy Lift Challenge, now called the Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC), to explore ...

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

  Carrier-UAV: Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role ...

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

  StormShroud: Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Mini UAV (Bulgaria)

  Programme Background The Bulgarian Army wants to procure UAVs to enhance the organic tactical ISR capabilities of its ground forces. According to Bulgarian media, a ...

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

  Mini UAV - Land Exploration and Reconnaissance Vehicle (VERT) [Spain]

  Background VERT In June 2025, the Spanish Government announced a €72 million (US$82.5 million) investment in the Vehículo de exploración y reconocimiento terrestre (VERT), which translates ...

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

  Micro UAV - Land Exploration and Reconnaissance Vehicle (VERT) [Spain]

  Background VERT In June 2025, the Spanish Government announced a €72 million (US$82.5 million) investment in the Vehículo de exploración y reconocimiento terrestre (VERT), which translates to the land exploration ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Mi2 Challenge [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The USN wants a UAV to be flown in austere environments without dedicated launch or recovery equipment; since it would be launched ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV (Bulgaria)

  Programme Background The Bulgarian Army wants to procure UAVs to enhance the organic tactical ISR capabilities of its ground forces. According to Bulgarian media, a ...

• 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 - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Thor [Israel]

  Background Various Contracts On 3 December 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced it had purchased “advanced drones and autonomous systems” from Elbit Systems in various ...

• 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 - small

  Penguin C (Latvia)

  Programme Background In 2018, the Latvian MoD signed an agreement with Latvian companies UAV Factory and Atlas Aerospace to procure UAVs for the LNAF. Under ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Family of UAVs [Bangladesh]

  Programme Background RfP The Bangladesh Army released a 106-page tender document to gather information about different platforms that would enable the force to "standardise" its UAV ...

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

  Tempest 50 [USAF]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 18 December 2024, the US DoD announced that the USAF had awarded Firestorm Labs a $100 million Small Business Innovation Research ...

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

  UAV-2 Gavilan [Ecuador]

  Background Domestic Development Development of the UAV-2 Gavilan by CIDFAE began in 2009, with the FAE unveiling the UAV in 2014. Reportedly, the FAE has five ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

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

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

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

  AR3

  The AR3, or AR3 Net Ray, is an autonomous small-UAS designed to support land-based and maritime missions.  In May 2025, the Royal Air Force announced ...

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

  AR2 Carcará

  The AR2 Carcará is a hand- or catapult-launched mini-UAV designed to support search and rescue, surveillance and patrol operations in amphibious and maritime environments. It is ...

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

  AR4

  The AR4 is a hand-launched mini-UAS designed for rapid mobile deployment. Manufactured by Tekever, the UAS is suitable for both military and commercial ISTAR applications.  A ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8N

  The PT-8D is an IR system from Overwatch Imaging. It is fitted with multiple HD thermal cameras and has been designed to conduct missions at dusk ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8D

  Marketed as a cost-effective solution, the PT-8D is a wide-area search and ISR payload from Overwatch Imaging. It features an RGB colour camera and a ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8DN

  The PT-8DN is a versatile day-night payload from Overwatch Imaging.  It has dual RGB sensors of different focal lengths and an HD LWIR sensor. It also ...

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

  VTOL UAV

  The Defence Technology Institute launched the VTOL UAV R&D; project in cooperation with the Naval Research and Development Office, Royal Thai Navy and private sector ...

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

  MCOM UAV

  The Mundo Compuesto (MCOM) UAV is a fixed-wing UAV designed to provide surveillance during both day and night for military and security force users. It uses ...

• Universal UAV

  Universal UAV is designed for multiple missions in the field of surveillance and reconnaissance, monitoring forest fires or fisheries. It consists of a carbon-fibre composite ...

• UAS: Integrated systems - uncrewed

  UAV TRS

  Celestia’s UAV Tactical Recovery System (TRS) assures controlled and safe landing of a UAV at a pre-designated GPS location. It can be deployed on command ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  UAV Simulators

  Elbit Systems has developed simulation systems to train personnel in UAV operation, from generic UAV training for initial screening procedures up to full mission, high-fidelity ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  UAV Training

  Resource UAS offers a range of UAV training, from foundation courses to live flying on a range of aircraft. Each can be tailored to suit ...

• 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.