Sponsored by BCB INTERNATIONAL
http: https://www.bcbin.com/
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
18 Feb 25. Teledyne FLIR’s Black Hornet 4 Nano-Drone Selected as Winner of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS Challenge. Award-winning Black Hornet unmanned aerial system is currently deployed in more than 45 countries. Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), announced that its Black Hornet® 4 Personal Reconnaissance System has been selected as a winner of the Blue UAS Refresh. In November, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) hosted a Blue UAS Refresh event at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. Over three dozen military drone users tested more than 35 uncrewed aerial system (UAS) products and capabilities to support the DoD’s growing requirement for effective drone technology. Black Hornet 4 was chosen during the evaluation. Led by DIU, Blue UAS vets and verifies commercial drone technology for the Department of Defense and U.S. government. As a result of winning Blue UAS Refresh, Teledyne FLIR’s Black Hornet® 4 will begin the NDAA and cyber security verification process required to join the Blue UAS List with an Authority to Operate (ATO). The Blue UAS List gives users access to a range of approved, NDAA compliant commercial drone systems that can meet their diverse needs.
“Black Hornet 4 has been extremely well received by the warfighter since it was first introduced in late 2023,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense. “We are very proud to see Black Hornet 4 selected as a winner of Blue UAS Refresh and are confident this unique drone will continue to have a huge impact for all operators across all missions.
“Along with having already been selected for the U.S. Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor Tranche 2 program, this latest achievement will make Black Hornet 4 available to an even larger cohort of users,” Lei added.
Black Hornet 4 represents the next generation of lightweight nano-drones, able to provide enhanced covert situational awareness to small fighting units. Its 12-megapixel daytime camera and high-resolution thermal imager deliver crisp video and still images to the operator. At just 70 grams Black Hornet 4 can fly for over 30 minutes, more than three kilometers, and function in 25-knot winds and rain. Flight performance is augmented by advanced obstacle avoidance capabilities and other features. Compared to quad-rotor drones, the single rotor Black Hornet 4 UAV has an extremely low visual and audible signature, enabling it to identify threats day or night without being detected. Able to launch in less than 20 seconds and well suited for missions in GPS-denied environments, Black Hornet 4 can be used to rapidly identify targets beyond visual line-of-sight and assess weapon effects in real-time. FLIR Defense has delivered more than 33,000 Black Hornet drones to military and security forces in over 45 countries. The U.S. Army began acquiring Black Hornet systems in 2018 for its Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) program. Since then, it has placed orders under SBS and other vehicles totaling more than $300m, including a $91 m contract for Black Hornet 4’s last October. The award-winning Black Hornet is designed and built by Teledyne FLIR Defense in Norway. (Source: ASD Network)
20 Feb 25. IDEX 2025: Edge Group unveils Jeer UAV. Edge Group unveiled a prototype of a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) named Jeer at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2025 held in Abu Dhabi from 17 to 21 February. The company said Jeer is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and ground attack missions. The prototype displayed at the event featured a Rutan design (canard configuration) and two Desert Sting 16 air-to-ground guided munitions, fitted to the two wing hardpoints (one each). Janes analysis indicates the UAV is powered by a horizontally opposed four-cylinder, turbocharged piston engine with a rating in the range of 100–120 hp and driving a three-blade propeller in pusher configuration. The airframe is constructed using composite material with sweptback high aspect ratio wings, a rectangular section fuselage, a shoulder-mounted complex delta-wing planform having winglets with control surfaces, and high-mounted canards. It has a dorsal air intake towards the aft section of the fuselage, and features a fixed tricycle landing gear configuration, with the main landing gear having spring steel legs. The Jeer has multiple attachment points under the wings, which suggest it can be equipped with more pylons (as opposed to the two observed on the prototype). The UAV was also observed carrying a multisensor gimballed electro-optic (EO) turret under the front fuselage belly section. Given the role of the platform, the turret could have a daytime sensor, infrared sensor, laser rangefinder, and laser designator. (Source: Janes)
19 Feb 25. Defense Innovation Unit Updates Blue UAS List with New Framework Platforms and Capabilities Selected. After three days of flight demonstrations at the Blue UAS Challenge at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, DIU Service evaluators selected 23 platforms and 14 unique components and capabilities for National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) verification and cyber security review. Over the coming months, as these selections complete the verification process, the Blue UAS List and Blue UAS Framework will expand with new additions. This challenge was the first of what is intended to be an annual competitive event for updating capabilities on the Blue List and Framework. In direct response to operator feedback, First Person View (FPV), Group 3, and tethered platforms were selected for potential addition to the Blue UAS List in response to emerging problem sets for end users. The addition of these new capabilities will provide Department of Defense (DoD) warfighters the ability to acquire these capabilities multiple years in advance of the current DoD program of record timeframes. As DIU completes the NDAA and cybersecurity verification process, updates to the Blue UAS List and the Blue UAS Framework will be published here. The Blue UAS List is a list of DoD approved drones providing options for the evolving mission needs of government users. These drones are compliant with section 848 of the FY20 NDAA , section 817 of the FY23 NDAA, and the 2024 American Security Drone Act, validated as cyber-secure, and are available for government purchase and operation. The Blue UAS Framework is a list of Interoperable, NDAA compliant UAS components and software that provide options for Government and industry partners. Framework provides advanced capabilities to sUAS developers and reduces risk for government customers. It includes critical components, sub-components, modules & software.
Platforms selected for verification and cyber security review for the Blue UAS List include:
- AeroVironment Dragon
- Anduril Ghost/GhostX
- Easy Aerial Sparrow
- Edge Autonomy VXE-30 Stalker
- Flightwave Edge 130
- Freefly Systems Astro
- Hoverfly Spectre
- Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000
- ModalAI Stalker
- Mountain Horse Solutions Rotron DT-300
- Neros Archer
- Parrot Anafi UKR
- PDW C100
- Quantum Systems Vector
- Shield AI V-BAT
- Skydio X10D
- Skyfall Vampire
- Skyfront Perimeter 8
- Teal Black Widow
- Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet
- Vantage Robotics Trace
- Zepher Flight Z1
- Zone 5 Paladin
Components and capabilities selected under the Blue UAS Framework rubric include:
- ARK Electronics Flight Controller
- Athena Artificial Intelligence Athena Computer Vision
- Auterion Government Solutions Skynode S
- Doodle Labs Wi-Fi transceivers
- Greensight UltraBlue and MicroBlue
- Locus Lock Global Navigation Satellite System receiver
- Mobilicom Skyhopper PRO / Pro Lite
- Pierce Aerospace B1 Remote ID Beacon
- Primordial Labs Anura
- RPX Technologies EmbIR camera
- SensorOps SynDOJO
- TILT Autonomy Lightweight Starlink PoE
- UVX Technologies Swappable Radio Module
- Vertiq Electronic Speed Control
The Neros Archer and the Hoverfly Spectre are the first platforms to receive an Authority to Operate (ATO) after completing the verification process. DIU has also added critical components from ARK Electronics, Locus Lock, Mobilicom, and Vertiq to the Framework list. All DIU ATO’s are globally applicable, allowing for use anywhere in the world, and all Blue components and capabilities are able to be used in a modular manner with any platform without additional paperwork requirements. Service evaluators focused on assessing key capabilities crucial for end-users. These criteria included ease of flight (control responsiveness, overall stability, and UI/UX intuitiveness for ease of operation); learning curve (how easily operators can plan and execute missions, the time required to achieve proficiency, and the setup and preflight process); flight performance (endurance, range, day/night operations, communication reliability, and latency); and capabilities (system’s payload capacity, mission flexibility, sensor performance for ISR missions, obstacle avoidance, and resilience to GPS denial and electronic warfare (EW) jamming). A total of 369 proposals from companies in the U.S. and 18 other countries (Ukraine, Israel, France, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Croatia, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Switzerland, Vietnam, India, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain) applied to participate in the refresh challenge, showing growth and development in the commercial UAS market. Advocacy for many of these new and enabling technologies continues to be critical for getting capabilities to the warfighter and the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab was an important partner for ensuring key technologies, including FPV’s, were available for evaluation during this process. With the cycle for development of new capabilities in this space approaching three months, and current DoD timelines and processes for drone delivery lagging warfighter needs by multiple years, providing warfighters access to capabilities they need now through the Blue List and Framework is even more important. (Source: UAS VISION/Defense Innovation Unit)
19 Feb 25. General Atomics eyes ‘huge’ MQ-9 sale to Saudi Arabia. General Atomics is preparing to offer a package deal to Saudi Arabia to acquire a number of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, company executives said in an interview at the IDEX arms fair in Abu Dhabi.
“We are still in the very early stages but are pursuing this hard as there is a huge interest coming from Saudi regarding the MQ-9B — we expect they have significant requirements [for these drones] that could result in many of tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S. if we were to close that sale,” Dave Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, told Defense News.
While the executive was coy about specifics — the Kingdom has yet to commit to anything — he noted that the combo offer includes a “large number of aircraft” among other things, and would involve local involvement within the country.
The company declined to elaborate on what else would be contained in the deal.
Saudi Arabia has previously looked to China and Turkey as its drone manufacturers of choice, with the purchase of Chinese-made CH-4s in 2014 followed by more orders for the Wing Loong IIs.
In 2023, the Gulf country also acquired the Akinci combat drones from Turkish manufacturer Baykar, which the company’s chief executive Haluk Bayraktar called the largest defense deal in history between the two countries in an interview with Defense News.
In the last few years, a sense of frustration was somewhat palpable in the Gulf region regarding requests for U.S. defense equipment, which suffered from significant delays and came with several conditions stemming from Washington’s export control regime.
For example, in 2021, following the U.S. State Department’s decision to delay Qatar’s year-old request to buy MQ-9Bs, the Wall Street Journal reported that some Qatari officials were becoming irritated from not receiving any explanations behind the hold-up.
Alexander is optimistic that things will change under the new Trump administration when it comes to fast-tracking defense deals with regional allies that were previously halted or delayed.
“The future is bright with this new administration in that I think [Trump] will open up to a lot more pro-business in the area allowing us to move forward, treat our partners here like equals … and getting deals done and not making everybody mad with silly conditions,” he said.
Alexander added that he expects the sale of the SeaGuardians to the UAE will resume under Trump. The multi-year negotiation process to export 18 MQ-9Bs, which began in 2020 with the U.S. approval for the sale, has been chaotic, to say the least. The drone acquisition was previously linked to an additional deal where the Emiratis would receive 50 F-35s, which was eventually halted over concerns about the country’s use of Chinese technology. General Atomics’ offering is a stand-alone one that remains separate from any potential fighter purchase from Lockheed Martin.
“No more weighing us down with that — 2025 is going to be a big year for us in the [Gulf] region,” Alexander added.
Trump has expressed admiration for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the authoritarian ruler of Saudi Arabia, with whom he connects sizable business interests. Relations between the two countries were icier during the Biden administration because of Ryadh’s human rights record. (Source: Defense News)
18 Feb 25. Saronic unveils plans for autonomous shipyard. Texas-based Saronic Technologies announced Tuesday it raised $600 m in private funding to build an autonomous shipyard it’s calling Port Alpha. The company plans to use the facility to grow its fleet of medium- and large-class autonomous surface vessels amid demand from the Pentagon for more drones of all kinds, including ships.
“It is going to be the most advanced shipyard in the world,” CEO Dino Mavrookas told reporters. “We’re going to build it right here in America. We’re going to build it from the ground up.”
Saronic hasn’t yet picked a site for Port Alpha, but the company is working with state governments throughout the U.S. to find the right fit. Texas and the Gulf Coast are among the regions the firm is closely exploring, according to Mavrookas. The company declined to offer specifics on how much the project would cost, saying only that it planned to funnel “bns and bns of dollars” toward the effort over its lifecycle. Mavrookas would not commit to a timeline for when the facility would open its doors, but said he expects it to be operating “well within five years.”
“This is not something that we’re just thinking about,” he said. “Our goal is to get it open as fast as possible with shipbuilding production lines, rolling things out and into the water.”
Founded in 2022, Saronic has raised more than $850 m and is valued at $4 bn. In just three years, the firm has developed three uncrewed vessels: Spyglass, Cutlass and Corsair — a 24-foot-long boat that it unveiled last October.
The company sees its systems as a solution to the U.S. Defense Department’s push for more uncrewed systems and Port Alpha as a means for boosting the Navy’s shipbuilding capacity. The service’s latest 30-year shipbuilding plan calls for 381 battle force ships — an increase from its current fleet of 295 — and an additional 134 unmanned surface vessels over that time period, including 40 large-sized vessels. The service is also pushing toward a fully operational unmanned fleet by the mid-to-late 2030s. At the same time, the Navy’s shipbuilders are struggling to maintain cost and schedule requirements, many of them years behind on delivering due to a number of factors, including a shrinking workforce and a lagging supply chain. Asked whether he expects Port Alpha to put additional strain on that base, Rob Lehman, Saronic’s chief commercial officer, said the autonomous vessels the company is building won’t rely on the same manufacturing techniques, hardware and workforce that traditional shipbuilders developing manned platforms.
“We’re looking at a new class of vessels with a new way of building them, unburdened by some of the constraints that the current shipbuilding industrial base is hindered by,” he said. “We plan on approaching the Navy with ideas, concepts and capabilities rather than just waiting and being told what to do.” (Source: Defense News)
18 Feb 25. Spain’s SIRTAP prototype flight scheduled for August or September, says MoD. The first prototype of Spain’s SIRTAP unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is currently in production, and its first test flight is scheduled for August or September, Spain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Janes on 17 February. SIRTAP (a Spanish acronym that loosely translates as Integrated System for High-Performance Unmanned Air System) is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAS. The system is “not yet” capable of carrying weapons, but it is “a growth capacity considered as part of the design”, according to an MoD spokesperson. The first production model delivery, which is a set of the system and a simulator, is scheduled for 2026. Each set includes three UASs and a ground control station. The project will be fully developed in 2030, according to a 2 January MoD press release. Spain purchased the Airbus SIRTAP UAS in a contract valued “close to” EUR495 m (USD518 m), with Airbus announcing the acquisition on 29 November 2023 for a total of 27 UASs, nine ground control stations, and two simulators. All of the UASs will be manufactured and assembled at the Airbus Defence and Space plant in Getafe (Madrid), said the press release. Previously, Janes reported that the UAS can carry a 150 kg payload and has a maximum take-off weight of 700 kg. SIRTAP is to be equipped with both a multimission radar (enabling overland and maritime roles) and an electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor turret. The UAS is 7.3 m long, almost 2.5 m high, and has a wingspan of 11.3 m, with a range of over 2,000 km, said the Spanish MoD press release. (Source: Janes)
13 Feb 25. Protector drone resumes flight tests with RAF. The remotely piloted aircraft is poised for official in-service declaration later this year. The UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has commenced Phase III of the flight-testing programme for the new Protector RG1 remotely piloted air system (RPAS). This phase will see the Protector operate from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire and engage in expanded flight activity.
Last month, UK Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle said: “Protector training has now transferred to the UK having completed four aircrew basic qualification courses in the United States. Further, four Protector air vehicles have now been delivered to RAF Waddington, where they are being maintained by 31 Squadron engineers. The required test and evaluation activity and UK training is underway, ahead of the planned platform in-service declaration later in 2025.”
Overseen by 56 (Test & Evaluation) Squadron, with support from 31 and 54 Squadrons, the second flight of the Protector on UK soil was successfully conducted by an entirely UK-based crew. They operated from the newly constructed ground station at RAF Waddington. This follows 2024’s inaugural flight of the RAF’s Protector RG Mk1 RPAS over the same base. The Protector RG Mk 1 (MQ-9B), successor to the Reaper (MQ-9A), is a next-gen MALE aircraft designed for long-endurance armed ISTAR missions. Its 40-hour flight capability enhances the RAF’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
17 Feb 25. IDEX 2025: Edge Group unveils HT-750 rotary-wing UAV. The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) Edge Group unveiled its unmanned helicopter HT-750 at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2025 held in Abu Dhabi from 17 to 21 February. The HT-750 features a modular mission profile, and is developed by Switzerland-based autonomous air systems maker Anavia, an Edge Group entity. Speaking to Janes, Ishan Sahgal, the founder and co-CEO of Anavia, said that conceptual design work for the HT-750 began in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, with official development work starting in Q1 of 2024. Jon Andri Jörg, founder and co-CEO, added that “the core systems like propulsion, avionics, electrical, and mechanical systems of the HT-750 are built into the exoskeleton frame. With the highly modular pod system the UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] can be adapted for specific mission roles such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), logistic missions, medical evacuation (medevac), and troop insertion”. The fully autonomous UAV is powered by a single turboshaft engine, equipped with a 900 litre fuel capacity, and features a semi-rigid four-blade bearingless rotor system. In a medevac configuration, the HT-750 will be able to carry two stretchers in a side-by-side arrangement, Sahgal added. (Source: Janes)
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
BCB certainly has a rich history (1854) and an impressive portfolio of products designed to enhance the safety and effectiveness of NATO defence personnel in various environments.
The core competency of protecting lives in hostile environments, includes:
LAND:
BCB`s camouflage creams and camouflage nets have been standard issue to conceal generations of British and NATO forces.
Our newly developed MultiSpectral Cam technology, the MK8 Phantom, camouflages and protects people/vehicles/assets in the visual, IR and thermal (SWIR/MWIR/LWIR) spectrums.
FireDragon, our eco field cooking fuel, burns cleanly so can also be used in the confined space of a foxhole or tent. It is waterproof, easy to light, non-toxic and smokeless.
SEA;
Our patented Floating Body Armour is unique, versatile and sensibly protects both you and your life jacket, under the soft and hard armour. Designed to be low bulk, it`s massive 275 newtons of buoyancy is self-righting. We say it will “save your life twice”.
Our range of Boat Stopping Systems, provided a layered non-lethal stopping capability against all sizes of vessels, including unmanned threats. So you can stop and search, defeat pirates from boarding, prevent terrorists from getting near your vessel or close off quickly a waterway, port or maritime borders.
AIR;
BCB`s sister company UAVE have been manufacturing since 2013, the Dragon MK3, large, long range (1,000km) long endurance (12hours), versatile and mission-ready UAV. It is proven and operational from the polar regions to 45deg C heat in the Middle East and Asia. The larger of the 3 models, carries 25 kilos payload.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–