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06 Feb 25. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) successfully completed testing of Australia’s third MQ-4C Triton at the company’s Palmdale, California, facility. The company is preparing to ferry the aircraft to Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland, where it will join Australia’s second Triton for calibration testing before delivery of both aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force. Robust flight testing and validation of these uncrewed high-altitude, long endurance aircraft are key milestones ahead of delivery to Australia this year. Australia’s air force is collaborating with Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy to field the most advanced maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting capability available today.
07 Feb 25. Iran has finally shown a drone taking off and landing on – in the latter case with the help of arresting gear – the deck of the country’s unusual new ‘drone carrier,’ the Shahid Bagheri. Newly emerged imagery also shows various drones and crewed helicopters on the flight deck, which has a ski jump at the bow end, including the appearance of ‘drones’ styled after the infamous Qaher 313. Officially touted as a sea base-like ship, Shahid Bagheri has now been shown launching a small missile boat and is armed itself with cruise missiles along with weapons for self-defense. The new pictures and videos of the Shahid Bagheri were released around a ceremony earlier today marking its formal entry into service with the naval arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The conversion of the ‘carrier’ from a commercial container ship reportedly started in May 2022, and it began sea trials in its new configuration in November of last year. The imagery from today’s ceremony includes footage showing a modified Ababil-3 drone with an arresting hook, which does not appear to retract or otherwise be capable of being stowed during flight, launching from the Shahid Bagheri‘s 590-foot (180-meter) flight deck. What is presumably the same drone is seen in another clip recovering on the deck by catching an arresting wire with its hook. The Ababil-3 also has two small turbojet engines installed, one under each wing, which could provide valuable additional performance for operations from a short flight deck without the aid of a catapult. How permanent the ‘carrier’ modifications to the Ababil-3 might actually be and whether a more refined design is in the works are unknown. At its core, the Ababil-3 is otherwise a well-established Iranian design in active service in Iran, as well as other operators in the Middle East, including Iranian-backed proxies in the Middle East. The drone is capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions and employing small precision munitions. Video clips show small remote control plane-esque ‘drones,’ styled on Iran’s Qaher 313 aircraft taking off and landing on Shahid Bagheri‘s deck, as well. Larger drones, or mock-ups thereof, with a design in line with the Qaher 313 are also seen on the deck. There are unconfirmed reports that the larger and smaller types are 20 and 60 percent of the size of the original Qaher 313, respectively. Both are seen marked JAS-313 and one of them is seen in a clip being lifted up to the flight deck on an elevator. What actual capabilities they might have are unknown. (Source: News Now/https://www.twz.com/)
06 Feb 25. Dufour Aerospace Teams with Volatus Aerospace. Dufour Aerospace, the Swiss drone manufacturer, has signed a strategic teaming agreement with Volatus Aerospace Inc., a global supplier of aerial solutions. This partnership paves the way for the worldwide deployment of Dufour’s Aero2 drone—bringing smarter, more efficient aerial logistics, mapping, and surveillance solutions to industries and communities that need them most.
“This collaboration with Volatus Aerospace represents a pivotal step in advancing the deployment of our Aero2 platform,” said Sascha Hardegger, CEO of Dufour Aerospace. “Volatus’ extensive global reach and operational expertise make them the perfect partner to expand the availability of our VTOL technology in challenging and underserved areas, such as remote communities in Canada and Africa. Together, we aim to deliver efficient, sustainable, and mission-critical solutions that redefine possibilities in advanced aerial logistics.”
This announcement comes right on the heels of an exciting milestone for Dufour: the successful first flight of the Aero2 drone with an in-house-developed hybrid-electric engine. This flight demonstrated the Aero2’s ability to seamlessly transition from vertical takeoff to forward flight—an important proof of concept that will support the commercial and operational capabilities Volatus will help expand.
“Dufour’s Aero2 represents a leap forward in drone technology,” stated Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace. “Having witnessed its capabilities firsthand and meeting the exceptional team behind its development, I am confident that this partnership will significantly enhance our fleet and operational capabilities. With the Aero2, we can expand our service offering and accelerate the commercialization of our Operations Control Center and remote operations.” (Source: UAS VISION/Dufour Aerospace)
04 Feb 25. US Startup Develops Football-Sized Kamikaze Drone. The American startup company XDOWN recently announced details of a state-of-the-art, throwable tactical drone designed for quick and stealthy use. Known as the P.S. Killer (PSK), the unmanned aerial system (UAS) bears a strong resemblance to an NFL football, which is no mistake. According to XDOWN, the shape of the 3.7-pound PSK allows users to hand-launch the kamikaze drone like a quarterback from practically any location and gives the weapon heightened accuracy. XDOWN describes the PSK’s deployment process as simple: “Grab it – Switch it ON – Throw it.” The drone launches into operation within two seconds, much like a quarterback throwing a football. The kamikaze drone has a 40+ miles range and can reach 135 knots speed. In 1973, the US Army experimented with anti-tank grenades housed in Nerf footballs, leveraging soldiers’ familiarity with throwing footballs. XDOWN developed the PSK to enhance special operations forces’ ability to conduct high-value target (HVT) missions. The drone’s compact size, rapid deployment, and advanced swarm capabilities integrate seamlessly into mission planning, providing operatives with a tactical advantage in dynamic environments. For counterterrorism operations, the PSK offers precision strike capabilities, reducing collateral damage in urban environments. Its ability to neutralize threats quickly while minimizing risks to civilians and infrastructure makes it a viable alternative to conventional strike methods.
Why It Matters
Drones are becoming increasingly more important in military arsenals, and they are used extensively as weapons and for reconnaissance missions.
XDOWN, whose team is made up of military veterans, reported that the PSK is more cost-efficient than many drones, and it can be easily maintained and upgraded.
What To Know
The PSK’s design allows it be utilized for a diverse range of tasks aside from simply engaging in electronic warfare, and the drone can conduct surveillance and reconnaissance operations thanks to thermal imaging.
Simply replacing the warhead container on the drone can allow the drone to transport food and medical kits to remote locations, conflict areas or disaster zones.
“This exceptional adaptability solidifies the PSK as a crucial asset for military operations, ready to handle any mission with confidence and efficiency,” XDOWN said in a press release.
Other highlights of the PSK include the ability to take out multiple aerial light threats with a single launch, real-time data exchange with command control and systems designed to enhance situational awareness and coordination.
“By complying with National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) regulations, it showcases exceptional reliability and a steadfast commitment to upholding high defense standards,” XDOWN said. (Source: UAS VISION/Defence Blog; Newsweek)
04 Feb 25. Ukraine Defeats Russian Fiber-Optic-Controlled FPV Drones. A Ukrainian military drone unit said it has developed a way to counter an increasingly deadly weapon — Russian first-person view (FPV) drones that use fiber optic cables instead of radio waves to connect with their controllers, making them impervious to jamming and other forms of electronic warfare.
The Magyar Birds Brigade claims it has devised a system using mobile radars to provide early warning for incoming FPV drones several kilometers away. Once they detect the threat, the unit then launches its own drones to intercept the Russian ones before they can reach their targets.
“… the first options for [the] detection and destruction [of Russian FPV fiber optic guided drones] exist and are already being used” by the brigade, claimed its commander, Robert Brovdi, who uses the callsign “Magyar.”
Brovdi posted a video on his Telegram channel purporting to show one of his drones destroying a Russian fiber-optic-guided FPV drone. Notable is the large spool on the back of the Russian drone. It contains an extremely thin but strong wire linking the drone with its controller. This capability has turned an already fearsome weapon into something much harder to defeat. Because their communications are not degraded when flying very low to the ground or even in structures, they can also hunt just feet off the ground and into enclosed areas as long as their data cable stays intact.
While Brovdi touts the system, he does not specify what kind of mobile radar his unit is using. It is likely a microwave radar system, like those that operate in Ku-band for counter drone applications. The radar’s short wavelength is optimized to sport small, relatively slow-moving drones. The drawback is that they have very limited range measured in just a handful of miles. So these sensors are great for detecting and tracking drones, but they don’t provide much early warning and craft can move in and out of their detection range quickly. Still, if one of these radars can be pushed forward to the front, it could provide critical detection of incoming FPV drones over a defined area and a fix on where a rapidly reacting counter-FPV drone can find it.
The Magyar Birds’ system is the latest development in what has become a leap-frogging duel between Ukrainian and Russian FPV drones and countermeasures. As the FPV drones became more prominent on the battlefield, they now rival the importance of traditional artillery.
Both sides have also been using drones to take out other drones. This capability first emerged in the skies over Ukraine in October 2022 when a Ukrainian Mavic drone swatted down a Russian one. One of the first such battles was captured in this video you can see below.
FPV drones hunting fiber-optic FPV drones in part takes advantage of the latter’s greatest advantage and turns it into a vulnerability. While the cables prevent them from being jammed, the extra weight of the large spools needed to operate over long distances slows them down and makes them less maneuverable. That’s something the Magyar Birds noted in the video the unit posted.
In his Telegram post, Brovdi urged Ukraine to rush mobile radars capable of detecting small drones to the front lines.
“The army must promptly and massively re-equip with mobile versions of radars every 2-4 km of the front line and with calculations of conventional FPV fighters to destroy enemy FPVs intercepted by mobile radars on fiber optics,” he suggested. (Source: UAS VISION/yahoo!news)
04 Feb 25. INTRACOM DEFENSE Launches the ACTUS Project. INTRACOM DEFENSE (IDE) signed a €42m Grant Agreement (No.101168046 ACTUS–EDF-2023-DA) with the European Defense Fund (EDF), as the Coordinator of the cross-European consortium of the project ACTUS (“Advanced capabilities & Certification for Tactical UAV Systems”), after a competitive evaluation process involving leading European manufacturers. The ACTUS project with a duration of 48 months, in the framework of the EDF 2023 program, aims at the technological development of European Tactical Unmanned Systems (UAVs), LOTUS and PATROLLER, to meet the common operational requirements of the Ministries of Defense (MoDs) of six European Union member states (Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Sweden), and also of Norway. The agreement includes the study, design, prototyping, testing, evaluation, certification and efficiency improvement of the European Tactical Remote Piloted Aerial Systems (T-RPAS). At the ACTUS Kick-off Meeting, held in Athens between 17-18 December 2024, the Chief Executive Officer of IDE, Mr. George Troullinos, stated that: “The project’s implementation will provide a step towards increased resilience of tactical UAVs, and significant improvements in airworthiness in demanding operational conditions, where their multiple capabilities combined with their reliability, make them cost-effective assets”. The Kick-off Meeting brought together involved MoDs and Consortium partners, and laid the foundations for the project’s successful implementation. All participants expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, while work has already begun with full force. The ACTUS consortium consists of 23 partners from 9 EU Member States and Norway: Austria (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), Belgium (ULPOWER AERO ENGINES NV), Cyprus (CY.R.I.C Cyprus Research & Innovation Center, GEOIMAGING, SIGNALGENERIX), Finland (Patria, Robonic), France (SAFRAN Electronics & Defense, THALES LAS FRANCE SAS), Germany (AES Aerospace Embedded Solutions, DIEHL DEFENCE, TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN), Greece (ALTUS LSA Commercial & Manufacturing, DIADIKASIA Business Consulting, Hellenic Aerospace Industry, IDE, ISD, University of Patras, REALISCAPE), Spain (EMBENTION SISTEMAS INTELIGENTES), Sweden (SAAB AKTIEBOLAG), Norway (SAFRAN Sensing Technologies Norway, UBIQ Aeropsace). The Hellenic Ministry of National Defense, as well as the MoDs of Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Sweden, and Norway, not only co-fund the project, but also will support its implementation in a very constructive way. The contribution of the Hellenic MoD to the above effort is crucial, as it will also be the Project Manager of the ACTUS project. (Source: ASD Network)
31 Jan 25. Norway’s Defence Research Establishment reports progress in UAV swarm technology. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Defence Research Establishment (Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt: FFI) has reported “significant progress” in information sharing between surveillance and attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while in a so-called drone swarm, Rikka Amilde Seehus, research manager at FFI, told Janes on 29 January.
Seehus said the development was enabled partly by a software platform for autonomous UAV operations called Valkyrie. The FFI has been working with Norwegian technology company Six Robotics to develop the platform. “It allows autonomous assets to work together at scale, regardless of platform or mission type,” Christian Fredrik Eggesbo, founder and CEO of Six Robotics, told Janes on 30 January.
The past year has also seen new developments in Valkyrie’s user interface. “It has become easier for the operator to control the swarm, locate targets, and engage them,” Seehus said. Central to the system’s use is the hand-off of targets from surveillance to attack UAVs. When work started on the system in 2022, an interceptor UAV was used amid a team of surveillance UAVs as a quadcopter attack swarm. The operator would control the surveillance UAV, while the attack UAVs would follow autonomously.
“We thought it would be a good idea if a surveillance drone flew together with the attack drones. Then we play on the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems,” Seehus said in a 27 January FFI press release. Initially carried forward for testing with quadcopters, research continues to adapt the software for fixed-wing UAVs as well. (Source: Janes)
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