• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SFOC granted for DX-3 Vanguard flight testing

  15th August 2018

  Sky Guys has been granted a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC), a permit for commercial UAS flights, for its DX-3 Vanguard development project, the company …

• Special Operations

  SOF looks to small UAS

  9th August 2018

  USSOCOM has requested industry information for a spectrum of small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) following a sources sought announcement issued on August 7.  The announcement was …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Swift020 UAS flies in Japan

  7th August 2018

  Swift Engineering has successfully demonstrated the first fully autonomous flight of its Swift020 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS in Kobe, Japan, the company announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IAI, SNC to develop tactical VTOL UAS

  23rd July 2018

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) have signed a strategic collaboration agreement to support the development of a new tactical vertical takeoff …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Russia banking on drone cash transport

  8th June 2018

  Sberbank, a large Russian Bank, is set to be the launch customer for Russian Helicopters’ new VRT300 VTOL UAV. The bank intends to use the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed’s Stalker XE receives VTOL upgrade

  24th May 2018

  Lockheed Martin has upgraded its Stalker XE UAS with a VTOL capability, the company announced on 22 May. The new VTOL option will provide users …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UMS, QinetiQ partner for Canadian market

  30th May 2018

  UMS Skeldar has partnered with QinetiQ Target Systems to offer joint platforms and solutions for Canadian maritime UAS programmes. The new partnership will work to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2018: Flexibility is key for tactical UAS

  3rd May 2018

  As militaries become more accustomed to the current operational practices involving tactical UAS platforms, the demand placed on industry by these services to provide increased …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2018: Flying-Cam unveils Discovery VTOL UAS (video)

  2nd May 2018

  Flying-Cam showcased Discovery, the latest of its range of platforms, at AUVSI's Xponential to meet demands of the commercial market. The company has also partnered …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2018: Swift closes on Japan joint venture

  2nd May 2018

  Swift Engineering is looking to close on a joint venture that will enable it to conduct commercial UAS service operations in Japan, while also beginning …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA 2018: Wuxi confirms UAV sales to Indonesia and Malaysia

  24th April 2018

  A representative at the Wuxi-based Jiangsu Digital Eagle Technology Development Company confirmed the first overseas sales of its YFT-CZ36 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA 2018: Chinese company adds sparkle to UAVs

  20th April 2018

  Sparkle Tech exhibited its newest UAV, the Tiger Shark, at DSA 2018 in Kuala Lumpur. This Chinese company, headquartered in Hong Kong, has been manufacturing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Going large, Ewatt showcases new quadcopter

  12th April 2018

  Ewatt Aerospace provided a preview of its EWZ-242 quadcopter UAS at the Commercial UAV Expo in Amsterdam ahead of the system's official launch at Farnborough …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Smart city integration key stage of unmanned journey

  13th April 2018

  While industries such as agriculture, energy and mining have embraced the use of drones the next stage of the unmanned journey will be integrating the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus outlines unmanned strategies

  12th April 2018

  As drones become more commonplace Airbus is continuing to explore the use of unmanned technologies throughout a variety of different applications. During the Commercial UAV …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - tactical

  VTOL UAV (ROKA)

  Programme Background All branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces are placing a large emphasis on the procurement of unmanned systems to improve ISR ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Nano VTOL [USMC]

  In April 2024, the USMC released a document outlining its drone strategy and how it intended to achieve its uncrewed ambitions. The document contained various ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Nano VTOL [USMC]

  In April 2024, the USMC released a document outlining its drone strategy and how it intended to achieve its uncrewed ambitions. The document contained various ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | ISR Drone (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  As part of its pledged €2 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024, the Netherlands announced in March 2024 that it had secured a ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | ISR Drone (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  As part of its pledged €2 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024, the Netherlands announced in March 2024 that it had secured 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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | ISR Drones (First Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  The Netherlands announced in March 2024 that it had secured a more than €200 million contract for new ISR drones. The MoD's press release confirmed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | ISR Drones (First Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  The Netherlands announced in March 2024 that it had secured a more than €200 million contract for new ISR drones. The MoD's press release confirmed ...

• 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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Micro VTOL [USMC]

  In April 2024, the USMC released a document outlining its drone strategy and how it intended to achieve its uncrewed ambitions. The document contained various ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Micro VTOL [USMC]

  In April 2024, the USMC released a document outlining its drone strategy and how it intended to achieve its uncrewed ambitions. The document contained various ...

• 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Ikarus

  The Ikarus is a rotary-wing UAV suitable for various roles, including agricultural survey, industrial inspection, search and rescue, and all aspects of health and safety ...

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

  Spider VTOL

  The Spider VTOL is a mini electrical fixed-wing UAV. Unlike traditional VTOL UAVs with dedicated motors, propellors and structural parts for performing take-off and landing, the Spider ...

• 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 ...

• Lynx VTOL

  The Lynx VTOL aircraft takes off like a helicopter, flies like a fixed-wing aircraft and is used for precision agriculture and surveying. It has an ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Zala VTOL

  Manufactured by Zala Aero Group, the ZALA VTOL is a hybrid platform that can be operated both as a fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAV due to ...

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

  Argus VTOL

  The Argus VTOL, currently in development, is part of the Argus family of UAVs manufactured by Free Horizons, which also features the Argus Predator Mk ...

• 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 ...

• Air: aerial targets

  Viking VTOL

  The Viking VTOL is an aerial target designed to mimic the size and flight characteristics of most larger, Group 1 (and potentially Group 2) platforms.  Boresight has ...

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

  Stream C VTOL

  At IDEX 2019, Threod Systems unveiled a new version of the Stream C UAS, capable of VTOL manoeuvres. Known as the Stream C VTOL, this ...

• 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 - 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 - small

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

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

  Penguin C VTOL

  The Penguin C VTOL is the VTOL version of the Penguin C MIL Mk2; hence it is sometimes called the Penguin C Mk2 VTOL. Edge ...

• RMAX

  The RMAX is a remotely piloted UAV that was developed in the 1990s for industrial and farming applications, including aerial spraying. The UAV can also ...