• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Puma AE UAV ordered for US Air Force

  19th April 2012

  AeroVironment  has announced that it has received a firm fixed-price order from the US Air Force (USAF) for its Puma AE small unmanned aircraft systems …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA12: Denel adds to UAS family

  18th April 2012

  Denel is currently developing the new Hungwe SUAS in an effort to develop a small system to add to its family of unmanned systems. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA12: SCS nears design completion

  17th April 2012

  Malaysia's SCS is approaching completion of several new UAV designs targeted at the local market.. Speaking to Shephard on 17 April at DSA 2012 in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA12: Turkey turns to indigenous UAV capability

  16th April 2012

  Turkish manufacturer TAI is advancing its HALE UAV design in an effort to replace the air force's Israeli UAV due to political tension between the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AAI wins $600 million MEUAS II award

  13th April 2012

  AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems has announced that it has been awarded the competitive Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MEUAS) II award from the US Special Operations …

• Military Logistics

  NDIA Logistics 2012: Logistics back in fashion, senior official boasts

  27th March 2012

  The military logistics sector has been described as the 'newest and coolest' market in defence, according to the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Skate SUAS demonstrates border security innovation

  22nd March 2012

  Aurora Flight Sciences’ Skate small unmanned air vehicle system (SUAS) has been awarded first place in the 2012 Border Security Technology/Product Challenge at the recently …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI Israel: Innocon touting tiny trends

  22nd March 2012

  The CEO of Innocon has outlined the struggles faced by specialist Israeli UAV manufacturers in the current competitive market. Speaking to Shephard during the AUVSI …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI Israel: Lessons learned generate mature UK UAV solutions

  20th March 2012

  A British Army officer has claimed that the UK’s fleet of UAVs are now being effectively controlled in Afghanistan following previous errors made in their …

• Defence Notes

  RT pursues civil aerostat capability

  20th March 2012

  Aeronautics subsidiary RT is preparing to take its Skystar 180 and 300 aerostats to Nimes, France on 24 March to evaluate its transition from a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Schiebel announces heavy fuel flight

  13th March 2012

  A heavy-fuel variant of a Camcopter S-100 UAS completed its maiden flight on 12 March, manufacturer Schiebel has announced. The UAS was flown at the …

• Digital Battlespace

  TRACER goes operational with SOUTHCOM

  22nd February 2012

  The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has deployed Lockheed Martin's Tactical Reconnaissance and Counter-Concealment-Enabled Radar (TRACER) following operational demonstrations. According to Lockheed Martin, the sensor which …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SGA2012: Chinese VTOL readies for open market

  16th February 2012

  Beijing Yotaisc Technology Development is preparing to bring its X200 vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) UAV to the market in September, company officials have stated. Speaking to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SGA2012: Japanese companies exhibit VTOL UAV prototypes

  15th February 2012

  Aoki Best-Tech has unveiled a prototype of its quad tilt-rotor VTOL UAV for the first time as company executives predict that is nearing completion. Speaking …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2012: X3 being prepared for US tour

  12th February 2012

  Eurocopter is set to tour its X3 compound helicopter in the United States and demo the technology to the US Army, it has been revealed. …

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 ...