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17 Dec 25. French drone makers call for more state spending as budget talks drag on. France’s drone sector could fall further behind global competitors if the government does not increase funding for procurement, said an industry body, calling next year’s plans for investment in the sector insufficient. One of Europe’s biggest defence spenders, France is trying to promote its drone manufacturers and dozens of French companies met with military and political officials accompanying Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on a trip to Paris last month in a bid to sign new orders. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu told parliament last week that scaling up drone production is one of the country’s top priorities and that the 2026 draft defence budget would include a 150m euro ($175.6m) investment in the sector. While more than in previous years, it is still not enough to secure industrial sovereignty, said Antoine Level, president of the French Drone Association (ADIF), which represents manufacturers, such as Delair and Parrot (PARRO.PA). The industry group had asked the government for 250 m euros in annual investment, including 170m euros in acquisitions by the state and public procurement, Level told Reuters. Without this amount, France risks falling behind other countries, Level said, pointing to efforts from other nations, such as Britain, which said in October that it had invested 600m pounds ($799m) to deliver more than 85,000 drones to Ukraine in the first half of 2025. That followed $1bn in funding for the “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” programme, Washington announced in June. It also remains uncertain whether France will even manage to adopt its 2026 budget by the end of the year. However, French drone makers are hoping to benefit from some of an additional 3.5 bn euros in defence spending announced by President Emmanuel Macron in July and defence budget talks to update the military programming law and allocate these resources, planned by the government in early 2026. ($1 = 0.8540 euros) ($1 = 0.7510 pounds) (Source: Reuters)
16 Dec 25. Neros and Kela Launch Archer Fiber – the World’s First NDAA-Compliant Fibre-Optic FPV Drone. Neros Technologies, in partnership with Kela Technologies, has announced Archer Fiber, the world’s first NDAA-compliant fibre-optic FPV drone — a breakthrough platform engineered for dominance in the most aggressive electronic warfare environments. Archer Fiber is already BlueUAS cleared, following a rigorous component-level audit verifying that no critical parts originate from China. This is true compliance, not repackaging — a meaningful differentiator in a market demanding trust, provenance, and scale.
“Archer Fiber marks a decisive leap forward in secure FPV capability,” said Søren Monroe-Anderson, CEO of Neros Technologies. “Electronic warfare is outpacing traditional radios. Fibre-optic control keeps operators connected, precise, and lethal even in the harshest interference. It’s a capability the U.S. and its allies need at scale — and Neros is built to deliver.”
Fibre-optic control removes the vulnerabilities of radio-based systems, enabling beyond-line-of-sight FPV operations and unlocking previously unattainable mission profiles. This technological shift positions Neros to lead the next generation of attritable UAS systems as defense customers accelerate investment in resilient, high-performance unmanned platforms.
“Archer Fiber demonstrates how industry is stepping up to reinforce the strong collective defence already underway between the United States and Israel,” said Hamutal Meridor, President of Kela Technologies. “By uniting American defence industrial power with Israeli battlefield-proven ingenuity, we’re enabling capability development at unprecedented speed.”
Archer Fiber is already deployed with early partners, validating performance in contested conditions. Orders are now open for 2026 delivery as Neros rapidly expands its vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing capacity. Archer Fiber represents a new class of secure, scalable FPV systems designed for real battlefield conditions — and a major step in reshoring critical drone capabilities to the United States. (Source: UAS VISION)
16 Dec 25. Auterion Performs World’s First Multi-Manufacturer Swarm Strike Demonstration. Auterion announced a significant step towards autonomous mass in modern warfare: the successful live demonstration of a hybrid drone swarm composed of FPV and fixed-wing drones from different manufacturers executing a unified, end-to-end kill chain. The demonstration for government customers in Munich, Germany, marks the first time such a mixed formation has operated as a single, coordinated combat entity. This achievement represents a decisive step toward the unmanned battlefield. The event brought together eight short-range FPV munitions and two medium-range fixed-wing platforms, linked through Auterion’s swarm engine and guided by human operators. The swarm executed the full find, fix, and finish sequence, including a coordinated, vision guided terminal approach, and synchronized strike effects.
“This is the moment when swarming autonomy stops being a concept and becomes an operational reality,” said Lorenz Meier, CEO and founder of Auterion. “For the first time, FPVs and fixed-wing loitering munitions from different manufacturers flew, hit, and finished together as a unified swarm. This is the architecture that future warfare will be built on.”
Unlike traditional drone operations that rely on manual piloting, the Auterion demonstration showed a coherent swarm acting on shared logic across varied airframes. FPV drones conducted rapid, low-altitude engagements while fixed-wing systems executed ISR and longer range strikes. Each drone understood the mission, the target set, and the timing of effects.
According to Meier, this shift is essential.
“The modern kill chain is simply too fast for manual coordination. Software has to do the heavy lifting, while humans make the decisions. This is how you maintain control without slowing down the fight.”
The demonstration also marked the first time unmanned systems from three different manufacturers have operated as a single combat swarm. Auterion’s operating system enabled full interoperability, eliminating the typical maze of bespoke integrations. Auterion unified diverse systems under one architecture, demonstrating how allies can rapidly scale and integrate industry without vendor lock-in.
“Interoperability is not a slogan anymore. It’s a battlefield requirement,” Meier said. “We need to overpower our near-peer adversaries with mass.”
Seamless Integration Into Battlefield Tools
The hybrid swarm operated under Auterion’s Nemyx engine, which provided autonomous real-time coordination. Live feeds and mission data are integrated into ATAK and are available as standardized cursor on target (COT) feed for other battle management systems, giving operators full situational awareness and positive control. This level of integration reflects how kill chains are evolving: they are becoming software-defined and network-native. Auterion’s hybrid swarm demonstration embodies a fundamental shift in warfare. Rather than treating drones as isolated tools, modern forces are moving toward swarms that operate as distributed, intelligent formations. The implications for deterrence, attrition, and survivability are profound.
“We’re watching the battlefield evolve from manned platforms with unmanned support, to unmanned formations with humans in command,” said Meier. “Today’s demonstration shows what comes next: mass autonomy that scales across nations and manufacturers. The future fight will be defined by swarms, not individual drones.” (Source: UAS VISION)
15 Dec 25. The New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) has reached a landmark agreement with the UK Armed Forces to develop a groundbreaking new undergraduate degree in Autonomous Systems which will be set to welcome its first students in September 2026. Built on NMITE’s pioneering, hands-on pedagogy, the new degree will lead to a Masters in Engineering (MEng) in three years, rather than the normal four years in traditional universities, and will prepare students to be broadly trained, highly effective engineers with a specialised focus on drone technologies. The programme responds to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and its Strategic Defence Review, which have both highlighted the urgent need to develop new skills in priority areas, at a faster pace, while ensuring that defence and security investment delivers positive economic impact in left-behind regions.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns, has supported this venture from the start: “We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for defence skills. Our Armed Forces must have the skills and experience to tackle the modern-day threats head on – including with engineers who can design, build and operate cutting-edge drone technology to defend our country. Through our Strategic Defence Review we are doubling investment in autonomous and uncrewed systems this parliament, putting the UK at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, and training a new generation to keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”
Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton comments: “Developing skills in autonomous technologies is critical to both defence and the Army. Backed by the British Army, NMITE will train the next generation of drone warfare specialists and help make the Army more lethal in an increasingly dangerous world.” The programme will place a strong emphasis on the dual-use potential of drone technologies. Just as many technologies originally developed for defence are now commonplace in civilian life, from GPS to the internet, NMITE’s Autonomous Systems degree will equip graduates to drive innovation for civilian, commercial, and humanitarian applications as well as for defence.
James Newby, President and CEO of NMITE comments: “This partnership demonstrates NMITE’s unique ability to move quickly to meet national skills needs. We are proud to be shaping this innovative new degree in Autonomous Systems, one that will not only serve defence priorities but also unlock enormous civilian and humanitarian benefits”
Jesse Norman MP, co-founder and Chair of NMITE, commented: “This degree marks an important step forward for NMITE. It will create huge opportunities for our students, bring significant investment into Herefordshire, and support the county’s new defence ecosystem, for the benefit of local people and businesses, and the nation as a whole.”
Leading the development and delivery of the degree is Professor Alexandru (Alex) Stancu who has joined NMITE as Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Academic Lead. Stancu brings over 25 years of international experience in robotics, AI and autonomous systems, including leading the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Research Group at the University of Manchester and founding Manchester Robotics Ltd. He is an internationally recognised expert in drone and autonomous vehicle technologies, with substantial research, industrial impact, and high-profile deployments in various defence and civilian sectors. He has secured more than £10 m in funding and contributed pioneering work that has advanced both the theory and real-world application of autonomy. His robotics and AI curricula are used in several universities in the UK and worldwide, and he has a strong track record of educational innovation.
NMITE will enrol its first students in 2026 so those interested in joining the programme should get in touch to express an interest in applying for a place here: https://nmite.ac.uk/form/register-your-interest-in-autosy
About NMITE:
NMITE’s vision is to deliver a different model of engineering higher education, developing work-ready, talented engineers and leaders in technology innovation. It aims to recruit a diverse cohort, including learners who may not have considered engineering as a career. NMITE’s curriculum brings the engineering disciplines together and integrates the liberal arts and the interpersonal skills needed by today’s employers to tackle the world’s problems. The educational approach of NMITE is to apply a student-centric learning methodology with a curriculum fuelled by real-world challenges, meaning that the approach is distinctive in the marketplace and attracts a different sort of engineering learner.
Key Facts:
The institution is supported by a team of 59 staff members and operates from a purpose-built campus spanning 4,941 square metres. To date, more than 220 students have enrolled, with over 90 modules delivered across the curriculum. Teaching and learning are strengthened by partnerships with more than 80 industry partners spanning a wide range of sectors. Details on bursaries awarded to students to date, as well as the full demographic breakdown of the student population, will be confirmed and available from Monday.
12 Dec 25. China’s Jiutian drone swarm-launching UAV conducts first flight. A heavyweight, multirole unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which China unveiled in 2024 as a potential ‘drone mother ship’, has conducted its maiden flight, according to images aired by the state-owned broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), on 11 and 12 December. The UAV, which has been named ‘Jiutian’ (‘Nine Heavens’ or simply ‘High Sky’), has a maximum take-off weight of 16 tonnes and has been designed to loft 6 tonnes of weapons or cargo airborne, including swarms of small drones, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Commissioned by the Shaanxi Unmanned Equipment Technology Company and developed by AVIC’s First Aircraft Design and Research Institute, the turbofan-powered aircraft conducted its maiden flight in Pucheng county location, Shaanxi province, in north-central China, CCTV said on 11 December. On 12 December, the broadcaster showed video footage of the aircraft taking off and flying over the airbase, with its landing gear in wheels-down position. The UAV was subsequently shown landing. The aircraft was first unveiled at Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai as the smart-configuration support-UAV (SS-UAV). At the time, the aircraft had a serial number (No 004) painted on the rear fuselage. The aircraft employed for the maiden flight had the same number, according to images aired by CCTV, indicating that it is the same aircraft. According to AVIC, the Jiutian has a top speed of 385 kt (a cruising speed of 377 kt), a ferry range of 7,000 km, and an endurance of 12 hours. (Source: Janes)
12 Dec 25. HavocAI completes live GPS-free air–sea autonomy demonstration. In a series of live runs, HavocAI’s systems completed a complex maritime mission demonstrating autonomy without GPS. The event demonstrated real-time coordination between ASVs and UAVs managed through a single command interface without GPS. Credit: DC Studio/Shutterstock.com. HavocAI, a maritime swarm autonomy company, has completed what it claims is the first live demonstration of fully integrated air–sea autonomy without relying on GPS. The trial was observed by representatives from allied navies, defence innovation bodies, and international partners. It showed real-time coordination between autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) managed via a unified command platform. Throughout several demonstration runs, the systems carried out a complex maritime assignment in a GPS-denied setting. All participating platforms maintained operational performance using alternative navigation and timing technologies amid signal degradation. In addition, the demonstration included integrated real time sensor data across air and surface platforms to support maritime domain awareness, automatic recognition and tracking of a specified vessel, as well as autonomous detection, classification, and engagement processes. The Havoc Control interface allows a single operator to oversee and synchronise the air and sea systems in real time.
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HavocAI stated that this marks the “most advanced” public demonstration of multi-domain maritime autonomy so far.
HavocAI CEO Paul Lwin said: “This demonstration cements HavocAI’s position as a leader in next-generation autonomous maritime systems, bringing to market capabilities that were previously theoretical or confined to simulation.
“As global defence forces accelerate their shift toward distributed autonomy, HavocAI is delivering operational, field-ready systems that redefine what’s possible in multi-domain coordination. This is a paradigm shift in how navies think about distributed operations in contested seas and is a key milestone to putting thousands of autonomous platforms in the Pacific in the next two years.”
Recently, HavocAI formed a partnership with Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) to enhance US Navy maritime operations by combining autonomous technology with multi-domain communications solutions. (Source: naval-technology.com)
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EOS
Electro Optic Systems (EOS) is an Australian technology company with a global presence, delivering advanced solutions across defence and space. With operations in Australia, the United States, Europe, Singapore, the Middle East and New Zealand, EOS has been designing and manufacturing precision technologies for more than four decades.
In defence, EOS is a leader in remote weapon systems, with more than 2,500 delivered and proven in operational service with allied forces. The company designs, develops and manufactures highly accurate counter-drone solutions for force and asset protection. These include both kinetic and high energy laser options that defeat drone threats effectively and at a comparatively low cost per shot. In August 2025, EOS secured the world’s first export contract for a 100 kW-class high energy laser weapon, with delivery scheduled between 2025 and 2028.
In the space domain, EOS is internationally recognised for its expertise in space domain awareness and space control. Its ground-based optical systems track and characterise satellites and debris to support both defence and commercial operations worldwide. Through its New Zealand subsidiary, EOS also designs and manufactures precision optics for space and astronomy applications.
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