• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2016: VTOL meets fixed-wing (video)

  4th October 2016

  Textron Systems is showcasing its Hybrid-quad Aerosonde variant at AUSA 2016 in Washington DC ahead of testing to both military and commercial customers in October. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aeryon introduces new UAS payloads

  18th October 2016

  Aeryon Labs has introduced an integrated UAS onboard computing platform called Vector, designed for real-time video processing, the company announced on 12 October. Vector is …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2016: V-247 to provide pivotal vigilance

  27th September 2016

  Bell Helicopter has unveiled its unmanned VTOL concept, the V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor, which it hopes will meet the US Marine Corps’ (USCM) requirement for a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cormorant UAV expands flight testing

  19th September 2016

  Urban Aeronautics’ wholly owned subsidiary Tactical Robotics has expanded the flight testing of its Cormorant UAV as it works to expand the system's flight envelope. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Taiwan mulls at-sea unmanned technology

  19th September 2016

  The Camcopter S-100 appeared at Taiwan’s Kaohsiung International Maritime & Defence Exhibition as the Austrian manufacturer aligns it towards Coast Guard Administration (CGA) requirements. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China Customs UAS delivered

  7th September 2016

  Delivery of three CybAero vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS ordered by Jolly for Chinese Customs have now been delivered. The APID 60 vertical take-off …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UMS Skeldar has ‘an advantage’ in German Navy tender

  2nd September 2016

  As the expectation grows ahead of a German Navy tender for the procurement of a VTOL maritime UAS capability, officials at UMS Skeldar are confident …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USS Monsoon tests RQ-20A Puma AE

  9th August 2016

  USS Monsoon, a Cyclone-class coastal patrol ship of the US Navy, has tested the capabilities of the AeroVironment RQ-20A Puma All Environment (AE) small unmanned …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army REF to assess PARC system

  21st July 2016

  CyPhy Works’ Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC) system is to be assessed by the US Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF), with an order for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Farnborough 2016: Unmanned Hoverbike set for production

  14th July 2016

  Malloy Aeronautics is pushing ahead with the development of its unmanned Hoverbike and expects to be ready to begin production in 2017, Shephard learned at Farnborough …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Farnborough 2016: Next test phase for Spy‘Ranger

  11th July 2016

  Thales is continuing the development of the Spy‘Ranger UAS as the system concludes its industrial test phase and is looking into methods to improve battery …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  CybAero to deliver three UAS in August

  29th June 2016

  CybAero and Chinese company Jolly have agreed that three UAS ordered by Jolly will be delivered in August 2016, CybAero announced on 27 June. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-8B deploys with new radar

  29th June 2016

  An MQ-8B Fire Scout recently deployed with the USS Coronado to begin flight operations using its new AN/ZPY-4(V)1 maritime surveillance radar. In a release from …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Tern two for NG in Phase 3

  20th June 2016

  Northrop Grumman will build a second prototype UAV for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), it has been revealed. In an announcement on 17 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Eurosatory: Miniaturisation opens new markets

  14th June 2016

  VTQ Videotronik and Aerolution have collaborated in an exclusive partnership to develop an optical payload for the Songbird 500 VTOL UAS family. It is nearing …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, on-demand ...

• Military UAS - small

  Aerosonde (Qatar)

  Programme Background The Qatar MoD has established the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center to carry out ISR missions for the Qatar Armed Forces. Among its roles ...

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

  Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR) [US Army]

  Programme Background Requirement The US Army approved the Co-Level SUAS DR acquisition in June 2023 to supply Brigade Combat Teams with an "immediate, commercially available capability" to ...

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

  DEF129 (Small UAS Plus) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The army wanted up to 17 SUAS+ systems with a life of six years. The tender said the UAV would be issued ...

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

  DEF129 (Small UAS) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Australian Army identified a need for a small UAS to provide an organic ISR capability to units operating at the tactical ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Nightwarden (Qatar)

  Programme Background The Qatar MoD has established the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center to carry out ISR missions for the Qatar Armed Forces. Among its roles ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Replicator 2 [US]

  Programme Background 1.0 The Replicator programme is a US effort to field thousands of attritable, autonomous systems across multiple domains before the end of 2025 ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) [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 - 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 - 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 - 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Aerosonde SUAS

  The Aerosonde SUAS comes from a long line of capable aircraft. The Aerosonde SUAS, like the Aerosonde fleet of aircraft, operates through contractor-owned and operated ...

• Scout

  The Scout is a VTOL sUAS designed for public safety, and commercial and industrial users. The system can be carried and operated by one person. 

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

  Aerosonde HQ SUAS

  The Aerosonde Hybrid Quadcopter (HQ) SUAS is the VTOL version of the Aerosonde SUAS. It combines the capabilities of a multi-rotor platform with the efficiency ...

• Percepto

  The Percepto is an all-in-one aerial solution for autonomous security, safety and inspection operations 24/7. The system operates autonomously to fulfil preplanned missions and responds ...

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

  Skylark II

  The Skylark II is a fixed-wing UAV that can be used for various military and security applications, including tactical covert surveillance and reconnaissance, perimeter security ...

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

  CorvoX

  The CorvoX is a fixed-wing drone developed domestically by SYPAQ Systems. Unlike its sibling, the Corvo PPDS, the UAV is not made from cardboard. The drone's development ...

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

  PD-1

  The People’s Drone-1 (PD-1) is a fixed-wing small UAV manufactured by Ukrspecsystems. It is modular and can be given VTOL capability in around 15 minutes. ...

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

  T-Hawk Micro Air Vehicle

  The Honeywell T-Hawk Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is a VTOL sUAS that has been used by the US military and the British Army to assist ...

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

  Skylark I-LEX

  The Skylark I-LEX is a mini-UAV manufactured by Elbit Systems.  Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2015, the UAV is designed for ISR operations. It enables ...

• Counter-UAS systems, Land: Defensive Systems - DF systems

  PATS

  The Passive Aerial Threat Surveillance (PATS) sensor produced by Adsys Controls is a detection and tracking system capable of monitoring airspace for extremely low-signature airborne ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  HPEM

  The High-Power Electro-Magnetics (HPEM) is a C-UAS system developed by Diehl Defence. It is intended to protect both military installations and public events against threats ...

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

  C-100

  The C100 is a portable, packable mini rotary-wing UAV designed for long-range ISR and cargo-carrying tasks. Manfuaucted by Performance Drone Works (PDW), it features swappable payloads, an open ...

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

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  EL-005

  The EL-005 is a two-stroke Otto cycle spark-ignited engine for unmanned aircraft, which is optimised for use with jet fuels. It has field-demonstrated levels of ...

• 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 ...