• 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 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USMC orders RQ-12 Wasp AE SUAS

  25th September 2014

  The US Marine Corps (USMC) has ordered additional AeroVironment RQ-12 Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as part of a $22 million contract announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Orbital delivers ScanEagle UAS engine

  17th September 2014

  Orbital has delivered the first purpose-built ScanEagle UAS engine to Insitu for in-house testing and development, the company announced on 16 September. The engine is …

• Defence Helicopter

  DARPA advances Boeing’s Phantom Swift

  28th August 2014

  Boeing’s ‘Phantom Swift’ prototype for DARPA’s VTOL Experimental Aircraft (X-Plane) programme has advanced to the next stage of development.  Valued at $130 million, the VTOL X-Plane …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cubic to work on SUAS common data link programme

  12th August 2014

  Cubic has been selected for a programme that aims to provide a common data link (CDL) for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS). The company has …

• Defence Helicopter

  K-Max returns from Afghanistan ops

  25th July 2014

  The K-Max VTOL cargo UAV has returned to the US following nearly three years of operations in Afghanistan in support of the US Marine Corps, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Selex ES UAVs ready for Italian Army deliveries

  17th July 2014

  Two Selex ES mini and micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B, are poised for delivery to the Italian Army following the completion of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Farnborough: Rotron to supply engines to CybAero

  17th July 2014

  Rotron has been selected to supply the propulsion system for CybAero’s Apid 60 VTOL UAV, it was revealed at the Farnborough International Air Show on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Boeing advances Phantom Swift

  24th June 2014

  Boeing’s Phantom Works has claimed its offering for DARPA’s Vertical Takeoff and Landing Experimental Plane (X-Plane) programme has the potential to spawn an entirely new …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Schiebel demos Camcopter UAV for Brazilian Navy

  6th June 2014

  The Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has carried out a series of demonstrations for the Brazilian Navy and Ministry of Defence from the Brazilian …

• Defence Helicopter

  LM targets US Army for K-Max technology

  3rd June 2014

  Following the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR’s) decision to overlook the K-Max cargo UAS for its Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) effort, developers Lockheed Martin …

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 ...