• 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 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DJI seeks funding, continues to rapidly expand

  28th April 2015

  SUAS manufacturer DJI is reported to be seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in venture funding in a bid to achieve a valution of US$10 …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2015: Rheinmetall laser available from 2018

  20th February 2015

  A High Energy Laser (HEL) is set to be available from Rheinmetall in three years, the company has revealed. A spokesperson said that since testing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  CybAero begins factory testing APID 60 VTOL

  3rd February 2015

  CybAero has begun factory testing three APID 60 VTOL UAS set for delivery to China Customs, the company announced on 2 February. The UAS will …

• Defence Helicopter

  Karem progresses to next phase of VTOL-X project

  18th December 2014

  Karem Aircraft will continue its development work on the DARPA Vertical Take Off and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) programme, with Phase 1B funding issued …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Arcturus to launch JUMP 20 UAV next month

  11th December 2014

  California-based unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturer Arcturus UAV will fly the first production model of its JUMP 20 aircraft in January.  Arcturus UAV president D’Milo Hallerberg …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aero Surveillance unveils ASV100 VTOL UAS

  9th December 2014

  Aero Surveillance has introduced a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS called the ASV 100 at the International Airborne Maritime Surveillance Exhibition (SIAM) in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Four Phoenix 30 UAS delivered to Bulgaria

  2nd December 2014

  Four UAV Solutions Phoenix 30 quad rotor UAS have been delivered to the Bulgarian armed forces as part of a US foreign military sale agreement. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Swedish FMS to test CybAero VTOL UAS

  1st December 2014

  The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has selected CybAero APID VTOL UAS for flight testing from the Swedish Navy’s Visby class corvette in 2015. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US airspace gradually opening up to UAS

  21st November 2014

  The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making progress on the development of regulatory framework to enable the safe integration of small UAS into National …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airshow China: UAV development shows few signs of abating

  13th November 2014

  A regular feature at the biennial Airshow China is the wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on show.  The latest event, held from 11-16 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Transport Canada simplifies SUAS operational framework

  6th November 2014

  Steps have been taken to simplify regulations on the use of small UAS (SUAS) in Canadian airspace, with Transport Canada announcing changes to the regulatory …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Euronaval: TANAN UAS set for surface vessel integration

  31st October 2014

  Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) has teamed with DCNS to target the ship-based UAS market with the TANAN vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Euronaval: Lockheed to demo K-MAX firefighting ability

  30th October 2014

  Lockheed Martin will demonstrate the ability of the K-MAX UAV to combat forest fires in conjunction with the company’s Indago small VTOL unmanned aircraft. Announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2014: Da-Vinci VTOL UAS targets urban warfare

  9th October 2014

  Flying Production will launch a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) small UAS (SUAS) called Da-Vinci at AUSA 2014. The system, which has already been …

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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR) [US Army]

  The Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR), or Co Level SUAS DR, is a US Army programme that has seen ten-year $14.42 million Indefinite ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR) [US Army]

  The Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR), or Co Level SUAS DR, is a US Army programme that has seen ten-year $14.42 million Indefinite ...

• 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 - 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 - 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 ...

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 - 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

  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 - 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 - 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 - 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 ...