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06 Mar 25. Italy’s Leonardo, Turkey’s Baykar to set up drone joint venture.
* Summary
* Companies
* Deal bridges Europe’s gap in drone industry
* Partnership provides EU foothold for Istanbul group
* Open to working for GCAP consortium, but not main aim
* Project compatible with EU’s MALE drone programme
Italy’s Leonardo and Turkey’s Baykar announced on Thursday they were setting up a joint venture to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), as defence companies scramble to respond to the surge in European military spending.
The deal aims to address Europe’s weakness in the drone industry and will take advantage of a European UAV market that the two companies estimated at $100bn over the next 10 years.
“Europe has a gap in unmanned technologies… and in complicated times like the one we are living in it is fundamental to guarantee global security,” Leonardo Chief Executive Roberto Cingolani told a press conference.
Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, said the deal was an “opportunity to build aerial supremacy”, given drones’ key role in the future.
The JV, headquartered in Italy, will use the two companies’ existing facilities, the executives said, adding that they had already started talking with their respective national military forces. (Source: Reuters)
05 Mar 25. ‘F’ for fighter: USAF combat drones get novel mission designation. The Air Force’s first two prototype collaborative combat aircraft have received their mission design series designations and will fly this summer, Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin said Monday. The CCAs, which are being built by Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., are the first aircraft the Air Force has dubbed fighter drones. General Atomics’ CCA is now known as the YFQ-42A, and Anduril’s is the YFQ-44A, Allvin said in his keynote address at the Air and Space Forces Association’s AFA Warfare Symposium here. In Air Force nomenclature, fighter aircraft are given an F designation, and Q stands for drones. Prototype aircraft are also given a Y prefix, which these CCAs will drop once they enter production.
“For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42 Alpha and YFQ-44 Alpha,” Allvin said. “It may just be symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare.”
CCAs are autonomous drones that will one day fly alongside crewed fighters like the F-35, or perhaps the future Next Generation Air Dominance fighter the Air Force is considering. The Air Force is heavily investing in CCAs as a way to expand airpower and provide strike capabilities, conduct reconnaissance, carry out electronic warfare operations, or even act as decoys. Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in 2023 that the service plans to have about 1,000 CCAs, but the exact number of the future fleet is not yet known. The Air Force awarded contracts to Anduril and General Atomics in April 2024 to build the first iteration of CCAs; further so-called “increments” are in the works. Until now, General Atomics has referred to its CCA drone as Gambit, and Anduril’s CCA has been called Fury. In his keynote address, Allvin said CCAs and their core technologies will be crucial for the Air Force to win wars to come.
“Embracing and leaning into human-machine teaming, understanding what autonomy can do for us,” Allvin said. “We know that’s got to be a part of our future.”
Anduril and General Atomics heralded their aircrafts’ designations as signs their work is bearing fruit.
“These aircraft represent an unrivaled history of capable, dependable uncrewed platforms that meet the needs of America’s warfighters and point the way to a significant new era for airpower,” said David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
“The designation is evidence of the program’s progress, and we continue to work tirelessly to deliver a capability that will expand the United States’ ability to project combat airpower,” Jason Levin, Anduril’s senior vice president of engineering, was quoted as saying in a company statement. (Source: Defense News)
05 Mar 05. AEVEX Aerospace Disruptor – Precision. Autonomy. AEVEX Aerospace, a leader in innovative defense technology, is showcasing its latest Group 3 UAS, Disruptor, during the 2025 tradeshow season. Attendees will be offered an in-depth look at groundbreaking advancements in loitering munition design and performance, with an exclusive opportunity to witness the future of modern combat technology. The Disruptor is combat proven and delivered to users through multiple U.S government contracts. Meticulously engineered for flawless precision in air, land, and sea scenarios, Disruptor boasts advanced autonomous navigation capabilities, further enhanced by state-of-the-art visual-based navigation systems. This powerful combination ensures highly accurate and reliable operations, even in the most challenging GPS-denied environments. The Disruptor operates autonomously and is capable of both pneumatic and with rocket assist launch. With a 50lb payload, it achieves a mission range of 600 km (carburetor) or 1,150 km (EFI). The airframe is crafted from lightweight carbon fiber and composite materials, ensuring an optimal strength-to-weight ratio. These capabilities, along with many others, will be on display at this year’s tradeshows. AEVEX Aerospace’s tradeshow season kicks off in April with Sea Air Space in National Harbor, MD, followed by Quad-A in Nashville, TN, SOF Week in Tampa, FL, and AUSA in Washington DC. For more details on AEVEX Aerospace and our extensive range of solutions, please visit our website at www.aevex.com.
About AEVEX Aerospace:
AEVEX Aerospace supports U.S. and partner nation security objectives by providing full-spectrum aviation and technology-based solutions. The company’s expanded capabilities include a wide variety of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), a combat-proven portfolio of loitering munitions, and a family of multi-mission Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV). These additions complement AEVEX’s offerings in custom design & engineering, manned/unmanned aircraft modification & certification, sensor integration & sustainment, and other fielded solutions, including advanced intelligence analysis and tailored mission-system tools. AEVEX is headquartered in Solana Beach, California, with other major locations in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
05 Mar 25. DARPA Unveils Unmanned Ship ‘Defiant’ Designed for Long-Duration Operations. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the USX-1 Defiant, a medium-sized unmanned surface vessel (USV), as part of its No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. In a press release, DARPA reported that the construction of the $25 m worth vessel, developed by Serco, was completed last month. The 180-foot, 240-metric-ton Defiant is designed to operate autonomously for long durations at sea. While the exact role of Defiant was not disclosed, larger USV concepts from Serco have been proposed as low-cost missile platforms supporting naval operations. Unlike previous USVs, which were converted from existing manned vessels, Defiant was designed from the ground up to operate without human crew members. Serco’s design includes space for a BAE Adaptable Deck Launcher and a mission container, which could allow for weapons integration. According to DARPA, the NOMARS program seeks to redefine traditional naval architecture by designing a seaframe (the ship without mission systems) from the ground up, with no provision or expectation for humans on board. By eliminating human considerations from the design process, the program aims to showcase significant advantages, including reduced size and cost, enhanced at-sea reliability and improved hydrodynamic efficiency. According to DARPA, the Defiant has already been transported from the shipyard to the waters. It is scheduled for two months of in-water testing, both dockside and at sea before moving into its full operational demonstration in spring. It is unclear where the vessel is currently docked, but a recent post on Reddit reported that residents in Washington state observed the Defiant being towed by a tug through the Saratoga Passage in Puget Sound, just north of Seattle. (Source: https://www.sofx.com/)
04 Mar 25. Morocco Acquires Advanced Chinese TB-001K Combat Drone. Morocco has recently acquired the Chinese-made TB-001K drone, known as the ‘Twin-Tailed Scorpion’, as part of the country’s ongoing efforts to modernize its military capabilities and diversify its defense suppliers. The acquisition comes as Morocco, ranked 59th in global military power according to the Global Firepower Institute, continues to strengthen its aerial defense capabilities through partnerships with various international suppliers. Morocco’s drone fleet has proven to be a formidable force in military operations across the Sahara, relentlessly targeting and neutralizing separatist Polisario Front infiltrations, and ensuring an unyielding grip over the buffer zones. The TB-001K, manufactured by Sichuan Tengden, stands out for its impressive specifications and operational capabilities. The drone can carry up to 1.5 tons of munitions and boasts an exceptional range of 8,000 kilometers with a continuous flight endurance of 40 hours. (Source: UAS VISION/Morocco World News)
05 Mar 25. Barracuda-500 Selected to Move Forward on the Enterprise Test Vehicle Prototype Project. The Air Force Armament Directorate (EB) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have selected Anduril’s Barracuda-500 autonomous air vehicle (AAV) to move forward to the next phase of the Enterprise Test Vehicle (ETV) prototype project. The ETV program aims to create a highly-producible, modular, and affordable air vehicle that will serve as the baseline architecture for large-scale production of next-generation airborne platforms. Within seven months of being selected as part of the ETV effort, Anduril optimized the Barracuda-500 design to execute a successful flight test, demonstrating how Barracuda’s simple and modular design – as well as Anduril’s approach and commitment to developing capabilities ahead of a specific customer’s need – facilitates rapid development, testing, and deployment of disruptive capabilities to warfighters. Over the next phase of the effort, Anduril will demonstrate Barracuda-500’s autonomous teaming capabilities, further prove out the manufacturability of the system, and highlight the modular architecture that enables its adaptability to future mission needs. The goals of ETV – including its emphasis on autonomy, producibility, affordability, modularity, and speed of delivery – are squarely aligned with the design, development, and manufacturing philosophy that underpins Anduril’s Barracuda family of autonomous air vehicles. Anduril’s selection follows rigorous testing and evaluation of the Barracuda-500 AAV. In September 2024, Anduril executed a successful flight test of Barracuda-500 in close partnership with EB and DIU. The end-to-end flight test was representative of future operational employment of Barracuda-500 and encompassed pre-mission planning, successful vertical launch from a cell designed to emulate palletized employment from air-lift aircraft, autonomous navigation and flight for over 30 minutes, successful capture of a GPS coordinate target identified in Lattice, and autonomous terminal guidance to the target. Later this year, Anduril will execute a series of flight tests that demonstrate the collaborative autonomous capabilities of Barracuda-500, including simultaneous vertical launch of multiple Barracuda-500 systems, in flight system-to-system communications, and how Lattice for Mission Autonomy enables the execution of novel collaborative autonomous behaviors designed to increase effectiveness in contested environments. Anduril will also prove out the manufacturability and affordability of Barracuda-500 over the next phase of the ETV project, demonstrating how Barracuda-500’s simple design, minimal tooling requirements, and reliance upon commercial components enables hyper-scale production while meeting the program’s aggressive cost targets per round. Over the next several months, Anduril will produce a number of ETV Barracuda-500 units using manufacturing processes and equipment that are representative of future full rate production techniques, continuing development towards a production variant capable of rapidly scalable manufacture in 2026. With a design made up of a handful of common subsystems, Anduril’s Barracuda family of AAVs is designed from the ground-up for modularity. Over the next phase of the program, Anduril will demonstrate how Barracuda-500 adheres to Weapon Open System Architecture (WOSA) standards, enabling warfighters to rapidly integrate modular hardware and software capabilities into the system as mission needs change. Anduril remains committed to delivering capabilities at speeds and timelines that matter. We look forward to continuing our work with our partners at DIU and the Air Force Armament Directorate to deliver a highly-producible, modular, affordable, and capable Enterprise Test Vehicle solution. (Source: ASD Network)
04 Mar 25. Russians Lash FPVs Together to Make Frankenstein Heavy Lift Drones. Russian soldiers have found a novel way to get around their lack of heavy-lift drones: strapping four small drones to a frame to create a device known as “Vobla.” A wide variety of these unlikely contraptions have appeared in recent months, and they now carry supplies to the front. While inefficient, the improvised drones do provide much-needed capability. And they show how adaptable drone technology can be with a little imagination. Ukraine has made wide use of heavy multicopters carrying thirty pounds or more, with four, six or eight rotor blades. Some 2,000 are now in use for logistics, night bombing and minelaying missions. These are the feared Baba Yagas, and Russia has struggled to come up with an equivalent; they have even pressed captured Baba Yagas into service.
“There are several Russian domestic heavy quadcopter/multirotor equivalents undergoing testing and evaluation, but nothing so far that can be mass produced in sufficient numbers, “ Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian drones and adviser to both the CNA and CNAS thinktanks told me. “So Russian soldiers are cobbling together a substitute.”
Russia made more than a m FPV attack quadcopters last year; these are in plentiful supply on the front line so they are being pressed into service. The Vobla consists of four FPVs attached to a frame with an additional central controller to manage the setup. Quadcopters change speed and direction simply by altering the speed of specific rotors under direction of a flight controller. In the Vobla concept, each quadcopter takes the role of a rotor blade in a super-quadcopter. (The name Vobla refers to a popular fish, eaten dried or salted – the connection with the drone is obscure). The arrangement is inefficient, with the additional weight of the frame and complexity of control, but it can work. Open-source analyst Roy has collected Vobla imagery from Russian sources and tracked their evolution.
“The first crude wooden Voblas looked somewhat ridiculous,” Roy told me. “But the concept has persisted and many efficient aluminum frame versions have emerged.”
In one demonstration a Vobla carries an anti-tank mine weighing 10 kilos / 22 pounds several kilometres, but Roy does not think mines will be the main payload. Ukrainian forces do not seem to have reported attacks by weird-looking bombers.
“I believe forward resupply is the first priority for the Vobla,” says Roy. “Ukrainian FPVs prevent any vehicles from approaching within 18 kilometres of the front in some sectors, so resupply of frontline units is very difficult. “
The Ukrainians use heavy drones to get supplies to forward positions. A recent report by UK defence thinktank RUSI noted that in some places military cooks even prepare fresh food which is flown out to the front line. Voblas will be playing a similar role, though likely with more urgent payloads like drinking water and medical supplies which often run critically short. Russian logistics are increasingly interrupted by Ukrainian drone attacks. No wonder Russian soldiers are converting their own FPVs into transports to help them stay alive rather than launching them at the enemy. Bendett says that the Vobla initiatives are very much a stopgap solution.
“Soldiers and volunteers themselves are turning to this Vobla design because they need such a heavy drone and can’t wait for the industry to test theirs,” Bendett told me. “It’s likely that the numbers of Russia’s own heavy quadcopters/multirotors delivered to the front will grow this year but unclear to what extent.”
He also notes that, in theory, the Russians could simply buy Chinese heavy agricultural/industrial multicopters off the shelf, as they buy other small drones like DJI Mavics. He says there could be a number of reasons why they have not done this.
“The primary one is likely the cost – these are more expensive purchases than getting FPV and quadcopter parts in bulk,” says Bendett.
Larger commercial multicopters are typically in the range of tens of thousands of dollars, and it looks as though the Russian bureaucracy imposes extra levels of control on them. Whereas FPVs are just a few hundred dollars and are easily obtainable.
“To put [a Vobla] together compared to purchasing a heavy agricultural hexarotor is a fraction of the cost,” says Bendett.
New Vobla designs are appearing all the time. Frames may be square, X- or H-shaped and batteries may be central or on the individual elements. At present there are a wide variety of configurations, but as with other drone types, there is likely to be a process of convergent evolution as the optimal designs are established.
“A few of the best designs will likely be settled on, and Voblas will likely increase in numbers and effectiveness,” says Roy.
While the existing Voblas all use four sub-drones, more ambitious versions carrying ever-greater loads are possible with more.
“There is no reason why six or eight quadcopters could not be used, and an example could emerge soon,” says Roy.
Larger sizes will get increasingly difficult to handle, but very large Vobla assemblies carrying heavy loads may appear.
Vobla Proliferation
Voblas may disappear when Russia does start mass producing its own heavy-lift drones. However, their success may inspire inventors in other parts of the world. At present, drone delivery is a relatively costly undertaking. With the Vobla approach, a developer with basic tools can build a delivery drone capable of carrying twenty pounds for less than the cost of a moped. This may be very appealing in parts of the world where roads are seasonal, or rough terrain makes ground transport slow and difficult and medical supplies cannot get through in time. This is a portable technology. Just as cellphones are common even in parts of the world where there is no reliable water supply, garage-made Vobla drones could be a real benefit to remote communities. They will also be misused by smugglers and other bad actors who need heavy lift capacity on the cheap and without leaving a trail. Necessity is the mother of invention. And this conflict is likely to continue throwing up bizarre-looking solutions with real practical value. (Source: UAS VISION/Forbes)
04 Mar 25. China’s Massive WZ-9 Divine Eagle Drone Now Operating from South China Sea Base. China’s deployment of its most advanced long-range surveillance drone to the South China Sea is a major challenge to US stealth aircraft and air superiority in the region, according to a Chinese military commentator. China’s large, jet-powered, twin-fuselage WZ-9 Divine Eagle drone has been operating, at least sporadically, out of an airbase on the highly-strategic Hainan Island at the northern end of the hotly contested South China Sea since at least Dec. 4. This is a new indication that this highly important aircraft is now at least in a semi-operational state. The jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operates at altitudes of up to 25,000 metres (82,000 feet), can fly for up to 35 hours and its radars can see up to 500 km (310 miles) away, enabling constant surveillance across vast maritime regions. The WZ-9 is a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) uncrewed ‘sensor truck’ that carries multiple radars capable of spotting and tracking targets over vast areas. These include objects in the air and on the surface below, as well as producing high-quality map-like radar images. While the operational status of the Divine Eagle is unclear, operations from Hainan would make perfect sense for providing valuable broad-area early warning and surveillance coverage out into the South China Sea and potentially far beyond. A satellite image TWZ obtained from Planet Labs, seen below, shows the WZ-9 drone at Ledong Air Base, also known as Foluo Northeast Air Base, on Dec. 4, 2024. Ledong/Foluo is a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) facility situated at Hainan’s southwestern end. Hainan is an absolutely critical location for the People’s Liberation Army that hosts multiple bases, including two sprawling naval facilities, one of which supports the country’s second strike nuclear deterrent and features a submarine cave complex. Details about the WZ-9, the development of which reportedly traces back at least to the early 2010s, remain limited and it’s unknown how many examples may currently exist. Imagery of the exotic-looking Divine Eagle that has emerged to date, along with renderings and models, show it has a very long high-aspect-ratio wing at the rear, as well as a smaller wing structure between the front ends of the two fuselages serving as a forward stabilizer. The drone is powered by a single jet engine mounted in a nacelle pod on top of the main wing between its two vertical tails. The span of the WZ-9’s main wing is around 147 feet (45 meters), but its overall length is just shy of 50 feet (15 meters). For comparison, the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk HALE drone has a wingspan of just under 131 feet (nearly 40 meters) and is almost 48 feet (14.5 meters) long. At least one model has previously emerged indicating that the WZ-9 has at least two large side-looking radars (SLARs), one in each fuselage facing outward. These radars may have ground moving-target indicator and air moving-target indicator (GMTI/AMTI) capabilities, as well as the ability to produce synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. The aircraft were spotted at Ledong airbase, also known as Foluo Northeast Air Base, near other strategic sites, including Yulin Naval Base, which houses nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, the report said. Former People’s Liberation Army instructor Song Zhongping said the drone’s array of radars seriously challenged the US military’s reliance on stealth technology for air superiority and weakened US combat strength in the Indo-Pacific.
“Its twin-fuselage design incorporates domes in the front sections that support a range of advanced radar systems that are built to track stealth aircraft, warships, and submarines over vast distances,”
Song said. (Source: UAS VISION/The War Zone; South China Morning Post)
04 Mar 25. Iran’s ‘Conqueror’ Stealth Jet Returns, This Time As a Small Naval Drone. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has introduced the JAS 313, an unmanned jet-powered drone derived from the earlier Qaher-313 stealth fighter project. The announcement marks the latest evolution of Iran’s indigenous aircraft development efforts, though the project has long faced skepticism regarding its authenticity and operational capability. The Qaher, initially unveiled in 2013 as a manned stealth fighter, was widely questioned by defense analysts due to its unconventional design and obvious engineering flaws. The aircraft’s unusually small cockpit, questionable aerodynamics, and lack of essential features such as properly sized air intakes and functional landing gear led many to doubt its viability as a fully operational fighter jet. By 2017, Iran displayed a modified version of the aircraft with a more realistic cockpit, but its flight capabilities were never verified, as it was never tested beyond a taxiing exercise. Iranian defense officials then announced in February 2023 that they were adapting the design into an unmanned platform named the Qaher 313, to better align with military requirements. The effort eventually culminated in the JAS 313, which was revealed aboard Iran’s newly commissioned drone carrier, the Shahid Bahman Bagheri, a converted container ship designed to launch and recover UAVs. According to Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, the JAS 313 comes in two scaled versions: one at 60% and another at 20% of the original aircraft’s size.
“The bigger version of JAS 313 is equipped with a jet engine that allows the aircraft to conduct missions at high velocities,” Tangsiri told Tasnim News Agency. The IRGC has positioned these drones for reconnaissance and bombardment operations.
Footage released by Iranian state media shows the JAS 313 taking off and landing from the Shahid Bahman Bagheri. While official specifications remain undisclosed, the smaller drone variation appears significantly smaller than the original Qaher-313 prototype, resembling a remotely piloted model. The larger model is said to be powered by the Jahesh-700 engine, a domestically produced turbofan engine. However, details about this engine remain scarce, and experts have questioned whether it is entirely indigenous or based on foreign technology. Iran has a history of reverse-engineering Western and Russian military hardware, particularly jet engines. Some analysts speculate that the Jahesh-700 could be derived from the General Electric J85, an engine used in older American aircraft such as the F-5 Tiger II, which Iran has operated since before the 1979 Revolution. (Source: https://www.sofx.com/)
03 Mar 25. EnforceTac 2025: Baltic Viper presents fibre-optic-controlled FPV UAS. Lithuanian company Baltic Viper presented its Viper 10 Optical first-person-view (FPV) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the EnforceTac 2025 defence exhibition held in Nuremberg, Germany, from 24 to 26 February. With FPV UASs originally all radio guided, the notable feature of the Viper 10 Optical is that it is fitted with a 10 km fibre-optic cable spool. This is used to both control the UAS and transmit the video feed from its forward-facing camera. Mindaugas Varanauskas, technical director at Baltic Viper, told Janes that this configuration had several benefits. The first is that using a fibre-optic cable renders the drone immune to jamming and interception. Second, the lack of radio signals being emitted between the ground control station (GCS) and the drone means that the location of the GCS and pilot cannot be tracked using techniques like radio direction-finding. Third, since there is no risk of losing the radio signal link, either through jamming or line of sight (LOS), the Viper 10 Optical can be used to manoeuvre and strike targets inside structures. Finally, the fibre-optic cable allows for a low-latency, high-definition video stream for the pilot, ensuring that the video is not degraded or interrupted due to signal loss. (Source: Janes)
03 Mar 25. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) welcomes the U.S. Air Force’s designation for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft: the new uncrewed jet fighter will be called the YFQ-42A. The announcement on Monday followed an earlier USAF decision in 2024 that GA-ASI was selected to develop and build the YFQ-42A.
“We’re proud to get a new official aircraft designation,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “YFQ-42A continues a long and distinguished history for GA-ASI that dates back to the 1990s and the debut of the RQ-1 Predator®, which later changed to MQ-1 Predator. That uncrewed aircraft gave way to the MQ-9A Reaper®, the MQ-20 Avenger®, our new MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian®, and many others.
“These aircraft represent an unrivaled history of capable, dependable uncrewed platforms that meet the needs of America’s warfighters and point the way to a significant new era for airpower.”
The Air Force selected YFQ-42A as the Mission Design Series (MDS) for GA-ASI’s CCA prototype, representing the first in a new generation of unmanned fighter aircraft. YFQ-42A will be critical in securing air dominance for the Joint Force in future conflicts, leveraging autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments. The Air Force is developing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms to maintain its air superiority. Semi-autonomous aircraft, like YFQ-42A, will enhance flexibility, affordability, and mission effectiveness. YFQ-42A will enhance air superiority as a flexible, affordable force multiplier. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with current and next-generation crewed aircraft, expanding mission capabilities and ensuring continued air dominance. In short, YFQ-42A provides fighter capacity – affordable mass – at a lower cost and on a threat-relevant timeline. The YFQ-42A designation follows the Air Force’s decision to designate GA-ASI’s highly common predecessor aircraft as the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station. The XQ-67A was ordered by the Air Force Research Lab to support the development of concepts necessary to implement the vision for CCA. In the Air Force system, an “X” plane is designed for testing and experimentation, while “Y” describes initial production-representative aircraft, usually ahead of a formal program. “F” is for fighter and “Q” designates an uncrewed aircraft. Once the production-representative aircraft moves into production, the “Y” will drop from the prefix.
03 Mar 25. UK Royal Navy Peregrine Helicopter Drone Conducts First Operation in Gulf. The UK Royal Navy has used its new mini-helicopter drone for the first time on drug-hunting operations in the Middle East. At just three metres (10ft) long, yet capable of sorties lasting up to five hours at ranges well over the horizon, Peregrine is the first remotely-piloted helicopter operated by the Royal Navy. It’s been launched from the flight deck of frigate HMS Lancaster, which is deployed to the Middle East on a long-term maritime security mission, during sweeps of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman looking for smugglers and drug-runners on the so-called ‘Hash Highway’. Peregrine has been launched on sorties by day and night, scouring hundreds of square miles of ocean on every flight, feeding data, live radar picture and imagery directly into displays monitored in the warship’s operations room.
“Being part of the team that used Peregrine in our counter-narcotics operations was a fascinating experience,” said AB(AWW) Bradley Morris,
“The clarity of the images we obtained from miles away was impressive and highlighted the advanced capabilities we have at our disposal. It’s exciting to see how technology is enhancing our operations at sea.”
The drone is ideally suited to the long and demanding surveillance missions, preserving HMS Lancaster’s crewed Wildcat helicopter to conduct interdiction or strike missions. But the team from 700X Naval Air Squadron – the Royal Navy’s dedicated drone unit based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall – has also operated Peregrine concurrently with the Wildcat to unlock the potential of drones and crewed aircraft working together.
Commander Sam Stephens, Lancaster’s Commanding Officer, said the Peregrine operations with his ship marked “a key milestone in the evolution of the Royal Navy’s uncrewed capability. This is just the start, as we continue to unlock the game changing capability with every flight, gaining the advantage over smugglers and adversaries alike. Integrating this force-multiplier into the longest-serving operational Type 23 frigate whilst deployed on operations is a significant achievement. This is just the start, as we continue to unlock the game changing capability with every flight, gaining the advantage over smugglers and adversaries alike”.
Lt Cdr Rob Guest, in overall charge of both the Wildcat and Peregrine embarked on the frigate, added: “Combining the maritime expertise of the Wildcat Flight with the development and integration of uncrewed air systems has been a crucial catalyst in providing the Command team with additional assets that complement the existing capabilities – a combination that is producing promising results for the future.” Peregrine requires a pilot, flying the drone remotely from on board Lancaster throughout each mission. The mini helicopter is a Royal Navy-specific variant of the civilian Schiebel S-100, equipped with UK military tech: radar and an infra-red/electro-optical camera giving it the ability to ‘see’ at night and in poor visibility as it moves over the ocean at speeds up to 125mph.”
During its operational debut, Peregrine located and monitored several board and search operations as Lancaster’s Royal Marines boarded suspect dhows, seizing drugs and other contraband. Peregrine is not the only tech enhancement the veteran frigate has received. She is now the first ship in the Indian Ocean fitted with a new counter-drone system – particularly important in light of attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden over the past 18 months. Lancaster has recently completed a spell of maintenance in Bahrain which has seen upgrades to her weapon systems and sensors, and the complex task of replacing one of the frigate’s diesel generators, cutting a hole in the ship to crane the old engine out and a new one in. (Source: UAS VISION/Royal Navy)
28 Feb 25. Successful Tests for HUGIN to US Navy. Successful completion of acceptance testing for the HUGIN Superior AUV system by the Defense Innovation Unit and US Navy. Only one year after being awarded a 24-month frame contract for Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUV) by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), KONGSBERG completed acceptance testing and delivery of the first HUGIN Superior Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for this customer. This final testing was completed at the beginning of the year in Norway. The vehicle will now go on to provide real-world operational relevance and enhance the undersea capabilities of the U.S. Navy. The completion of this effort is a testament to DIU’s commitment to fulfilling its mission of accelerating the adoption of commercial technology for national security. In the last year, the DIU team performed a rigorous technology assessment which culminated in the order and delivery of a highly capable HUGIN AUV system in a short time.
“KONGSBERG is excited to be expanding our relationship with the U.S. Navy and provide the cutting-edge capabilities that come standard with our HUGIN Superior AUV system. We applaud the DIU team for enabling this transfer of capability to the warfighter at an accelerated pace and look forward to valuable operator feedback and continued partnership to further evolve our product line,” said Rich Patterson, Vice President of Sales, Uncrewed Platforms Division.
KONGSBERG’s HUGIN Superior is a proven AUV system that has been in active use by both commercial and military customers since 2019. It provides immediate operational capability for Subsea and Seabed Warfare (SSW), Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPoE), Mine Countermeasures (MCM), and inspection of critical undersea infrastructure at delivery with no required modifications. With full ocean depth design, an endurance of over 70 hours, a navigational accuracy of <0.04% of distance travelled, and multiple mapping and imaging sensors, it leads the large AUV market in reliability and capability. KONGSBERG has an extensive history of developing AUVs. From the first HUGIN dive in 1993 to the record-breaking multi-week mission of HUGIN Endurance last summer, HUGIN continues to be the gold standard of AUVs on the market. HUGIN is tightly integrated with KONGSBERG acoustic sensors, autonomy, navigation, and battery technology resulting in a finely tuned system that produces the highest quality data. (Source: ASD Network)
28 Feb 25. IDEX 2025: Shahpar III UAV showcased before it hits the market. Pakistan’s defence conglomerate, GIDS, garners global interest in the Shahpar UAS family ahead of the release of the latest third variant. Global Industrial and Defence Solutions, or GIDS, Pakistan’s state-owned defence conglomerate, garnered wide-reaching interest in its Shahpar family of medium altitude long endurance (MALE) uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX). This comes as the third iteration of the fixed-wing Shahpar UAV completed taxi tests and is now entering the flight testing phase before entering the global drone market in the summer of 2025. Shahpar I first emerged in 2012 and the system was later replaced by the more prominent Shahpar II, a variant which has currently reached its second block. This second variant has a modular structure and an auto-pilot scheme for autonomous take-off and landing. Armed, the system can carry four weapons on its pylons, fly for 15 hours, and reach up to 22,000 feet. For surveillance purposes, the vehicle can fly 20 hours and go another 3,000 feet higher. However, the third Shahpar version due to be released this year can carry six weapons, fly between 16 to 30 hours at an altitiude of up to 35,000 feet. According to GlobalData intelligence, the military UAV market will expand by 6.3% over the next decade. Moreover, the data consultancy expects the leading segment to be MALE systems, accounting for as much as half of the total market share. This is a considerable demand signal; especially since the predominant American-made MQ-9 Reaper – also a MALE UAV – entered service more than 18-years ago. At the exhibition in Abu Dhabi on 19 February, a spokesperson revealed to Army Technology that several security services expressed interest in its family of systems, such as the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces among others. Principally, the spokesperson noted that “detailed discussions” are ongoing with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Navy. The host nation is said to have requested a quote for the Shahpar II and III variants, and they are said to have taken away certain specifications from this consultation. Currently, the Pakistan Army and Air Force use Shahpar I and II for surveillance missions. The exact number of systems in service is not known, however it is believed that every squadron has one. Both of Pakistan’s armed services intend to acquire the third Shahpar iteration when it becomes available but neither force has decided on the number of vehicles they intend to procure. It may be worth noting, however, that there is an investigation into a technical glitch with one of the Pakistan Air Force’s Shahapr II units, which crashed the Bhakkar district of Punjab last year. Nevertheless, the new interest still represents GIDS’ current client base in the Middle East and Africa. The conglmerate has engaged with Azerbaijan, Kenya, Nigeria, Türkiye, and the UAE in the past. Tapping into more diverse markets such as Europe will prove difficult given Pakistan’s close alignment with China and its markets and the West’s pronounced policy of decoupling in recent years. However, this is not impossible given Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to indigenise the construction of its defence products, particularly when it comes to shipbuilding and simulation trainer systems among others. (Source: army-technology.com)
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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.
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