• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LAAD 2013: Santos Lab unveils VTOL UAV

  11th April 2013

  Santos Lab used the LAAD exhibition in Rio de Janeiro to publicly unveil a new VTOL UAV. Dubbed the ORBIS, the UAV features a quadrotor …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment announces new Raven SUAS order

  10th April 2013

  AeroVironment will supply additional RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aerial systems (SUAS) and new miniature gimbaled payloads to the US Army under a new order announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Piccolo Nano autopilot introduced for small UAVs

  19th March 2013

  UTC Aerospace Systems has released the Piccolo Nano autopilot, the newest and smallest addition to the Cloud Cap Technology Piccolo family of flight management systems. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  V-Bat UAV demos autonomous payload delivery

  13th March 2013

  MLB has announced that it has concluded a DARPA funded research project that saw its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV, V-Bat, demonstrate precision autonomous …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Czech institute looks to civil UAS market

  6th March 2013

  The Czech Military Technical Institute (VTU) has begun offering its UAV designs to new civil clients, such as those in the local energy sector, for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  I-Master-equipped Camcopter S-100 conducts trials

  19th February 2013

  Schiebel has announced that its Camcopter S-100 UAV has conducted flight trials equipped with a Thales I-Master radar system at the Schiebel test facility in …

• Digital Battlespace

  Aero India 2013: Saab looks to increased partnerships in India

  7th February 2013

  Saab is looking to increase its partnerships in India as it moves to introduce modern C4I capabilities into the country’s defence market. Michael Sahlberg, marketing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Roke MRA receives ingress protection certification

  6th February 2013

  Roke Manor Research has announced that its Miniature Radar Altimeters (MRA) have received an Ingress Protection (IP) certification. The certification, announced on 6 February, will …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment announces new Wasp AE order

  24th January 2013

  AeroVironment will supply its Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) to support an as yet unspecified US Marine Corps requirement under a contract announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Telephonics to provide MQ-8B Fire Scout radar

  10th January 2013

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for the US Navy will be fitted with a multimode …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Innocon unveils Spider SUAS

  7th January 2013

  Innocon has announced that it has expanded its lightest family of UAVs, the MicroFalcon family, with the introduction of the Spider small UAS (SUAS). The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment, CybAero enter into strategic relationship

  3rd December 2012

  AeroVironment has announced that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Sweden-based CybAero to develop and distribute a Tier II vertical takeoff and landing …

• Naval Warfare

  Euronaval 2012: D2AD sea trials completed

  23rd October 2012

  Thales and DCNS have just completed sea trails of their D2AD automatic take-off and landing demonstrator for VTOL UAVs.   The companies announced the achievement …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  On-board video processing integrated with Skate SUAS

  22nd October 2012

  Aurora Flight Sciences and SRI International Sarnoff have announced the integration of the SRI Sarnoff DL Micro digital data link and video processor into the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed Martin-led team to develop new autonomous technology

  9th October 2012

  A team led by Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract to explore highly advanced autonomous technologies aboard an unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) …

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 ...