• Defence Notes

  US budget recognises value of helicopters, unmanned systems

  15th February 2011

  The US Department of Defense (DoD) is continuing strong funding for its rotary, unmanned and cyber capabilities in its 2012 budget request. Of the $671 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aero India: DRDO hands over Nischant

  12th February 2011

  The Indian Army has accepted the Nishant multi-mission UAV following a series of confirmatory endurance trials. At Aero India 2011 in Bangalore from 9-13 February …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Hirth Motors 3503 EFI engine flying in Saab Skeldar V-200 VTOL

  7th February 2011

  Goebler-Hirthmotoren KG (Hirth Motors) has been working with Saab on the propulsion system for Saab’s Skeldar V-200 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B achieves first flight milestone

  6th February 2011

  The first flight of the US Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) aircraft was successfully undertaken on 4 February at Edwards Air Force Base, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Centaur begins flight test program

  3rd February 2011

  Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) has begun its flight test program. The first fully-configured Centaur made its first flight …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK exercise prepares helicopter crews for Afghanistan

  31st January 2011

  England’s Salisbury Plain is playing analogue to the environs of Helmand Province for the next three weeks as UK troops prepare to deploy to Afghanistan …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cobham acquires leading supplier of advanced bomb disposal robots for €78m

  19th January 2011

  Cobham plc has acquired the share capital of Telerob GmbH, a privately-owned German-based manufacturer of advanced bomb disposal robots and threat response vehicles for EUR …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Wescam MX-10 EO/IR payload flying on Camcopter S-100 UAV

  19th January 2011

  Schiebel Aircraft GmbH and Wescam L-3 Communications are delighted to announce the first flight of a Camcopter S-100 UAV with the Wescam MX-10 EO/IR payload …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop Grumman's Hunter reaches 100,000 flight hours operational milestone

  12th January 2011

  Northrop Grumman Corporation's Hunter Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), in use with the US Army since 1996, recently surpassed 100,000 flight hours in service, more than …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  EADS asks Europe to make a choice

  12th January 2011

  EADS chief executive officer Louis Gallois has warned against the existence of two competing MALE (medium altitude low endurance) UAV programmes in Europe while describing …

• Digital Battlespace

  Mercury Computer Systems launches high performance products for defense applications

  6th January 2011

  Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., a trusted ISR subsystems provider, announced the Ensemble Series 6U OpenVPX LDS6521 and the 3U OpenVPX SBC3510 modules based on the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ORBIT awarded UAV tracking and communication system contract valued at $3.1m

  3rd January 2011

  Communication Systems, Ltd., a satellite communications, tracking, and airborne communications-management systems provider, has been awarded a contract valued at $3.1 Million for the supply of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cabure III UAV pre-production completed flight test campaign

  29th December 2010

  The pre-production version of Nostromo´s Cabure III UAV, a short range tactical UAV, with electric propulsion, completed its flight test campaign in order to qualified …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Horizon's hydrogen fuel cells fly Elbit Systems' Skylark I-LE UAV

  7th December 2010

  Horizon Energy Systems announced the successful test flight of its AEROPAK fuel cell power system onboard Elbit Systems Skylark I-LE UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System). An …

• Land Warfare

  Boeing begins delivering Brigade Combat Team Modernization capabilities to US Army

  6th December 2010

  Boeing today announced that it began delivering Brigade Combat Team Modernization (BCTM) Increment 1 hardware to the US Army on Nov. 17, and made a …

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 - 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 - 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 - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Render Safe Sets, Kits & Outfits (RS SKO) - UAV (US)

  Programme Background Definition The RS SKO provides capabilities needed for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams to render safe US and foreign ordnance and improvised explosive ...

• 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 ...

• 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 - small

  Small UAV (Colombia)

  Programme Background Many of the Colombian military's UAVs are operated by the Colombian Air Force, but the Colombian Army has also employed several different types ...

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

  Corvette UAVs [Angola]

  Programme Background In February 2023, at NAVDEX 2023, Shephard reported the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), part of the EDGE Group, had signed a €1 billion ($1.06 ...

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

  Small VTOL UAV (Denmark)

  Programme Background 2020 Tender In January 2018, Denmark's three main political parties signed the Danish Defence Agreement, a cross-party defence white paper covering the period ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Programme Background USMC In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, which had been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous ...

• 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 ...

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

  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 ...

• 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, including communications support, infrastructure surveillance, ISTAR and pollution monitoring.  Manufactured by Tekever, ...

• 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. 

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

  E-UAV

  In October 2021, the Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB) unveiled the E-UAV at the Artificial Intelligence Defense Technology and Cyber Security Exhibition and Conference (AIDTSEC). The UAV is ...

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

  Berkut UAV

  In February 2022, Aerovehicles presented the Berkut MOBPY UAV at the Silvio Pettirossi Air Base of the Paraguayan Air Force. The UAV has been designed ...

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

  Tactical UAV

  Unveiled at DSA 2022, the Deftech Tactical UAV is an indigenously developed platform based on the Aldura Mk1. The platform is aimed at the Royal Malaysian ...