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10 Apr 25. BAE Systems partners with Boeing on Ghost Bat autonomous vehicle management system. The landmark agreement strengthens the collaborative efforts of two of the nation’s key defence players, further solidifying BAE Systems’ role as a strategic partner in one of Australia’s most significant aviation programs. The VMS developed by BAE Systems is a critical component of the Ghost Bat, enabling the aircraft to fly autonomously and safely during complex operations.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat, formerly Loyal Wingman, represents a historic milestone in Australian aviation. It is the first combat aircraft to be designed, manufactured, and flown in Australia in over 50 years. The program is a centrepiece of the Royal Australian Air Force’s push into uncrewed aircraft technologies and has garnered international attention for its innovation and potential export value.
BAE Systems has been involved in the MQ-28A program since 2017, drawing on over 40 years of experience in developing autonomous vehicle management systems. The company’s expertise plays a key role not only in the flight management software but in supplying components for the Ground Control Station and the Independent Flight Termination System – systems essential to the aircraft’s autonomous operations.
Kisa Christensen, director of Red Ochre Autonomy and Sensors at BAE Systems Australia, said: “BAE Systems is proud to be a strategic partner on this innovative sovereign program. We are excited to be at the forefront of future autonomous air capability to ensure Australia and its allies can generate the force required to continually meet their operational needs well into the future.”
The agreement also lays the groundwork for deepened collaboration between the two companies across future capability delivery efforts, supporting long-term sovereign industry growth and advanced defence capability for Australia.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is designed as an uncrewed teaming aircraft, intended to operate alongside crewed fighter jets as a “force multiplier” in multi-mission air combat scenarios. Equipped with a modular design and advanced sensors, it can undertake a wide range of missions, including reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and surveillance.
Its maiden flight occurred in February 2021, and the flight testing program continues to evolve, with further trials scheduled throughout 2025. The aircraft’s development is part of Boeing’s global push to deliver next-generation autonomous platforms and to position Australia as a hub for cutting-edge defence technology.
“BAE Systems Australia has been an important capability partner for our Australian industry team,” said Glen Ferguson, Boeing MQ-28 global program director. “Their contribution is vital as we continue to expand the capabilities and global potential of the MQ-28A.”
The Ghost Bat project is part of the Australian government’s broader investment in sovereign defence capability, aligning with the Defence Strategic Review’s focus on technological edge and operational agility in the Indo-Pacific region.
(Source: Defence Connect)
10 Apr 25. Leidos unveils ‘low-cost’ unmanned undersea vessel ‘Sea Dart.’ The Sea Dart starts at around $150,000, a Leidos official told Breaking Defense, and works with various payloads and software packages.
Defense and information technology company Leidos this week unveiled a new unmanned undersea vessel (UUV) called Sea Dart, what the company is advertising as a “low-cost,” versatile maritime weapon.
“The price of UUVs continue to escalate,” Jason Weed, the undersea subject matter expert in Leidos’ Maritime Systems Division, told Breaking Defense Tuesday. But, he said, with the Sea Dart starting at around $150,000 per unit, “we’re able to provide these at scale. You can build 600-700 Sea Darts with $100m.”
Leidos officially revealed the “low cost” Sea Dart on Monday, saying that it “currently comes in two different standard diameters, six and nine inches, and is transportable by one or two people. It is payload agnostic and compatible with the U.S. Navy’s preferred Underwater Vehicle software architecture as well as the U.S. Navy’s new non-propagating UUV battery design.” (The announcement said the 12-inch diameter version is “under consideration.”
Leidos says the UUV can travel down to 900 meters and can go as fast as 12 knots, and depending on the payloads attached, it has a battery life of up to 19 hours.
Weed said the first Sea Dart bought by a customer, who he declined to identify, went into the water in March. He also declined to say if the Navy was a current customer, but said Leidos “desired” for the Navy to use Sea Dart on a large scale.
He said that apart from being relatively affordable, the Sea Dart uses a commercial, off the shelf model, meaning buyers can purchase the vessel as it is but add any customizations — for example various sizes and types of payloads. It also has an open architecture model that can work with various software systems. So, depending on the payload and software package, Weed said the vehicle can perform counter-mine operations, battle space preparations, environmental sensing or undersea infrastructure monitoring, among other missions.
“There are a lot of concerns right now with underwater critical infrastructure like cables, so this can monitor those and report back if there are any changes,” Weed said.
Sea Dart is the latest collection in Leidos’ “Sea Systems” portfolio. It joins the small unmanned surface vessel Sea Archer and the medium unmanned surface vessels, Sea Hunter, Sea Hawk, Ranger and Mariner.
Unmanned maritime systems have been an emphasis at this year’s Sea Air Space show, with Anduril and HII announcing the delivery of new UUVs they’ve developed as well. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
10 Apr 25. Nigeria Unveils Advanced Domestic Built Drones. The Nigerian military in partnership with Briech UAS, the largest drone manufacturers in the country, recently showcased its advanced drones, missiles, and bombs at its facility in Kuje, Abuja. Although the technical details were not revealed, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa highlighted that the drone will act as a force multiplier, greatly improving the operational efficiency of the Nigerian military. The launch, which took place in the country’s capital, was a major turning point in the company’s efforts to fortify the nation’s security infrastructure.
The Chief of Defence Staff and event chairman, added that the event was a major step in enhancing national security capabilities and a turning point in Nigeria’s path towards defense technology self-reliance.
“As the precision and efficiency of drones are critical in gathering intelligence and executive decisive actions against threats, in an era where security threats are increasingly complex and asymmetric, these force multipliers will play a vital role in enhancing the operational effectiveness of our military and other areas,” he said.
“By manufacturing these drones locally, Nigeria reduces its dependence on foreign resources, ensures prompt acquisition, and strengthens its ability to respond swiftly to security threats.
The Armed Forces of Nigeria welcomes this development as it enhances our ability to acquire the much-needed assets without delays associated with the international procurement system.
“For us, this will significantly improve our professional readiness while ensuring long-term sustainability,” he added.
Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau state, speaking about the drone launch, underlined that recognizing and backing local products was essential to Nigeria’s development.
He also revealed that some of these domestically produced technology is currently being deployed in his state, as reported by PremiumTimes.
This is being done to combat insurgency. He made sure to highlight the fact that his administration was collaborating with regional drone and bomb producers such as Briech UAS.
“As a nation, we made a mistake by allowing non-state actors to acquire capabilities that nearly rival those of state actors,” the governor stated.
“We have entered into a partnership that has enabled the deployment of these facilities in our state,” he added.
Nigeria’s fleet has long been supported by foreign-made drones, such as the US Aerosonde and Chinese Wing Loong II. (Source: UAS VISION/Business Insider Africa)
09 Apr 25. SEAair’s ARROW Transforms Naval Missions with a Stealthy, Autonomous High-Speed Surface Vessel. At the SOFINS 2025 exhibition held at Camp de Souge near Bordeaux, the French company SEAair Solutions unveiled the ARROW vessel, a new-generation autonomous surface system designed for both military and civilian maritime missions. The project is based on a major innovation: the integration of retractable, autonomously controlled hydrofoils that allow the vessel to operate faster, over longer distances, and with significantly increased discretion. The ARROW (Autonomous Rapid Recognition Operation Warship) is intended for a wide range of maritime security and defense operations. It is suitable for missions such as surveillance, maritime security, search and rescue, electronic warfare deployment, and sea strike operations. The platform can support the rapid and discreet deployment of commandos over distances of up to 400 nautical miles. In its commercial version, ARROW is also adapted for tasks such as crew transfer to offshore wind farms or low-energy passenger transport, made more comfortable by its shock mitigation capabilities. SEAair has developed a 20-meter platform equipped with hydrofoils, placing France among the leading countries in the field of next-generation naval vessels. The ARROW is derived from this larger concept as a more compact and agile 12-meter version, which can operate autonomously or with a crew, and uses the same core technologies. These vessels reach an average speed of 35 knots, with peaks up to 45 knots, offering both extended range and improved operational discretion. They can carry other unmanned systems (UxVs), payloads, or crew members.
The concept is based on the innovative use of retractable foils, enabling the vessel to rise above the water surface, which reduces fuel consumption by 50% and doubles the range. The small wake and aerodynamic lines contribute to the vessel’s stealth profile. When needed, the foils can retract to allow for conventional navigation. Propulsion is provided by electric pods, enabling low-noise approaches. According to SEAair, ARROW is the world’s first Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) equipped with foils. (Source: Google/armyrecognition.com)
08 Apr 25. US Navy receives first two Lionfish SUUVs from HII. This delivery forms part of a multi-year programme that could see the US Navy acquire up to 200 SUUVs. The US Navy has taken delivery of the first two small uncrewed undersea vehicles (SUUVs) from Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) for the Lionfish system programme. This delivery is part of a multi-year programme that could see the US Navy acquire up to 200 SUUVs, with a potential contract value exceeding $347m.
Based on HII’s REMUS 300 platform, the Lionfish System is engineered for multi-mission adaptability through a modular, open-architecture design. The programme, developed in collaboration with the US Navy and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), aims to accelerate the integration of dual-use commercial technologies into the Department of Defense’s operations. This initiative marks the Navy’s first transition from an other transaction prototype to full-scale production, with the Lionfish being the first and only cyber-compliant uncrewed underwater vehicle.
Mission Technologies uncrewed systems business group president Duane Fotheringham said: “This delivery represents a key milestone in the Lionfish programme.
“The success and on-time delivery of Lionfish is the product of close collaboration between the government and industry team that will put a critical mine hunting capability in the hands of sailors and marines in an operationally relevant time frame.”
Production of the Lionfish is currently underway at HII’s uncrewed systems facility in Pocasset. The Lionfish system programme contract was awarded to HII in 2023. The Lionfish supports vital undersea warfare needs, including mine countermeasures, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare, and electronic warfare.
The REMUS family of UUVs is known for its significant contributions to modern naval operations, capable of operating independently or alongside crewed platforms, such as Virginia-class nuclear submarines. These capabilities enhance mission scope, minimise detection risks, and reduce personnel exposure. The open-architecture design of the REMUS allows for rapid payload integration, facilitating mission-specific configurations and future technology insertions, which are essential for maintaining operational relevance and cost efficiency over time.
HII has delivered more than 700 REMUS vehicles to more than 30 countries, including 14 Nato members. (Source: naval-technology.com)
09 Apr 25. Canada’s Independent Robotics Wins NATO Hackathon. Canada’s Independent Robotics has been named a winner in the inaugural NATO Innovation Hackathon, sponsored by NATO and the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). The competition – which took place virtually from March 11 to 18 – drew the participation of more than 60 companies globally, with the aim of accelerating the development and adoption of innovative defence technologies. Challenges presented during the event were drawn from those faced daily in war zones such as Ukraine.
The hackathon rewarded 10 companies for their proposed technological solutions in areas including AI, acoustic sensors, robotics and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) detection.
Independent Robotics – which took home a 20,000 EUR-prize and access to further collaboration with NATO’s DIANA network – impressed the panel with its AI-based data processing technology called AISRA. AISRA features advanced AI that understands video, sonar, and thermal imaging, and can automatically scan and analyze vast amounts of footage to identify objects of interest based on just a few samples. Given just a single image of a new type of armored vehicle, for example, it can rapidly detect the whereabouts of that vehicle in videos recorded by reconnaissance aircraft.
The AISRA system is based on Independent Robotics’ breakthrough “Insight Engine” technology, a software technology originally developed for civilian inspection applications in land, air and underwater environments. For example, one of the Insight Engine’s uses is analyzing footage collected by flying over a city’s roadways and automatically detecting and prioritizing potholes for repair, drastically reducing what would normally take months of manual analysis.
The Insight Engine uses the latest innovations in AI and robotics to process and understand vast amounts of data, much in the same way that ChatGPT can help people summarize large amounts of text. Today, robots are improving the processes for inspections of critical infrastructure such as runways or solar power arrays, allowing surveys to be conducted more economically, safely, and frequently. Taking advantage of this information, however, leads to a dramatic increase in the amount of data that humans need to process. Tools such as the Insight Engine address this issue by allowing human analysts to review summaries of data collected from any robot – from flying drones to autonomous underwater vehicles – rather than spend countless hours watching raw data.
“The world today is data-driven, but the burden on human analysts is unsustainable,” said Julian Ware, CEO of Independent Robotics. “Our goal isn’t to develop AI for its own sake – it’s to translate cutting-edge research into solutions that people actually need.”
Nick Dudek, the company’s Head of Software, emphasized that Independent Robotics’ solution “is built to help users regain control and understanding in situations flooded with data. Engaging with NATO defence experts reinforced the need for tools like AISRA.”
The NATO award isn’t the company’s first success. In 2022–23, Independent Robotics partnered with the Royal Canadian Navy’s dive team through a federal innovation accelerator to test AI-powered underwater robots (uncrewed underwater vehicles). The startup’s technology is also gaining traction in civil sectors – monitoring ship hulls, ports, bridge foundations, and even fish farms for maintenance or invasive species.
More recently, the company joined forces with Lone Drone Solutions, a Canadian company that is applying the technology to inspect civilian airports.
“With the Insight Engine’s ability to generate fast, high-confidence reports, demand for our solution is growing fast,” Dudek said.
Ware emphasized that this win isn’t just about Independent Robotics – rather, it’s about ensuring ethical, impactful AI reaches the people and organizations needing it most.
“The world is moving fast, and the challenges we’re addressing need solutions just as quickly,” Ware said. “As Canada strengthens its position as a global AI leader, our company’s success highlights the country’s expanding influence in defence innovation.” (Source: UAS VISION/Independent Robotics)
08 Apr 25. Shield AI Unveils V-BAT Block Upgrade Powered by Hivemind: Advanced Autonomy, SATCOM, and Heavy-fuel Engine Among New Features. Shield AI, the deep-tech company building state-of-the-art autonomy software products and defense aircraft, today unveiled the latest evolution of its combat-proven V-BAT. The latest V-BAT offers Group 4 and 5 capabilities in a Group 3 package. It’s purpose-built to solve the hardest operational problems facing the U.S. and its allies: finding and targeting threats in GPS- and communications-denied environments, securing borders, and enabling persistent maritime surveillance.
“The most forward-thinking militaries are swapping out their larger, more expensive ISR aircraft—which are too vulnerable for how much they cost — and accomplishing the same missions with smaller, more affordable drones, like V-BAT,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President, Co-founder, and a former Navy SEAL. “V-BAT is built for the full spectrum of drone missions—from deep-penetration ISR-T where GPS and comms are jammed to border security, search and rescue, and drug interdiction. If there’s a mission out there, V-BAT can do it—faster, cheaper, and where others can’t.”
V-BAT now boasts a heavy-fuel engine optimized for JP-5, the most common maritime aircraft fuel, extending its endurance beyond 13 hours while ensuring seamless compatibility with naval and expeditionary operations. Enhancing its unmatched versatility, V-BAT now features a fully unassisted vertical launch and landing (VTOL) capability, eliminating the need for a human operator to assist in takeoff or recovery. It still requires no runway, catapult, or net recovery, and its patented ducted-fan design enables safe, precise landings on moving ships, rooftops, and confined areas—even in high winds and rough seas.
These capabilities have made V-BAT the unmanned aircraft of choice for maritime and expeditionary forces, deploying on nearly every class of U.S. Navy ship and with all seven Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs). The U.S. Coast Guard recently selected V-BAT for a major ISR operations contract, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) named it their first-ever ship-based ISR platform.
V-BAT is Hivemind Pilot-ready, enabling operators to integrate Shield AI’s AI-powered autonomy software for best-in-class perception and cognition. SATCOM integration also provides Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) command and control (C2), allowing operators to conduct missions from anywhere in the world. V-BAT supports multi-payload integration, including ViDAR-enabled passive wide-area motion imagery, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and electronic warfare payloads, expanding operational flexibility across domains.
Visitors to the U.S. Navy League Sea-Air-Space Maritime Expo in National Harbor, Maryland, this week can see a special edition U.S. Coast Guard V-BAT model at Shield AI’s booth (#1101). Stop by to learn more about V-BAT and how Shield AI is advancing autonomous aircraft for maritime operations. (Source: ASD Network)
07 Apr 25. Technological gaps, industry barriers stall USV growth, report finds. The report notes that several critical obstacles remain before the industry can realise its full potential. A forthcoming industry analysis, the 2025 Janus Review, is poised to shed light on the technological shortcomings that are hampering the broader implementation and complete independence of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). Scheduled for release at the Sea, Air and Space Exhibition in National Harbor, Maryland from 6 to 9 April, the 2025 Janus Review will outline prominent trends, tackle essential challenges, and spotlight emerging applications and technologies influencing USVs. The review is an annual publication by Janus Marine and Defense, an American company specialising in marine autonomy.
The study suggests that a reluctance to share intellectual property, apprehensions about losing competitive edges, and the lack of universally accepted standards are impeding the collaborative efforts required to address these issues. The report points out that critical technologies, notably those in AI development which are crucial for advancing the USV industry, are still being actively researched. The report states that modelling, real-time data integration, and AI algorithms are essential—technologies that are still in development and largely untested in maritime settings. Specialised datasets and algorithms for reliable marine computer vision systems, real-time sonar data processing, and AI classification of underwater obstacles are also highlighted as technological barriers requiring further research and development.
The review underscores the transformative potential of intelligent self-diagnostics combined with adaptive mission-planning capabilities for USV autonomy. However, the integration of real-time diagnostics with autonomous decision-making hinges on highly advanced algorithms and robust onboard computing power—capabilities that are not yet fully matured or broadly accessible. Additionally, acoustic sensing technology faces challenges including high ambient noise levels and complex signal processing, necessitating ongoing research for reliable integration into autonomy algorithms. Securing skilled professionals is cited as a major obstacle impeding both innovation and expansion within the sector.
This year’s edition recognises USVs as having transformative potential for various maritime activities including defence, security, offshore exploration, and logistics.
Despite its dynamic nature and rapid development, Jack Dougherty—the owner of Janus Marine and Defense and editor of the report—notes that several critical obstacles remain before the industry can realise its full potential. One such challenge is what the report terms as the ‘Low Demand, Low Volume problem,’ which has substantial repercussions across different facets of the sector. Since USVs typically serve specialised markets like defence or offshore surveying rather than mass consumer bases, it becomes challenging for manufacturers to justify extensive production lines. This situation maintains high costs while stifling innovation. In addition, new entrants aiming to penetrate this market encounter considerable hurdles related to funding their operations and scaling their businesses effectively.
Dougherty said: “USV technology is at a crossroads. It is undoubtedly the future. But progress is slower than it should be. The reality is that developing a new USV requires heavy upfront investment in R&D, testing, and certification, costs that must be recouped over a small number of sales. Unlike automotive startups that can enter the market with well-established supply chains and contract manufacturers, USV companies often have to build their own infrastructure from the ground up, further increasing costs.
“Ultimately, the low-volume nature of the industry creates a cycle: high costs limit demand, limited demand discourages investment, and slow investment stifles technological progress. Until USVs become more widespread and production volumes increase, these challenges will continue to shape the industry’s growth.”
Jack added: “Many of the challenges facing USVs today aren’t about proving that autonomy works – it does. Instead, the real issues are about scalability, efficiency, and reliability.
“Whether it’s enabling intelligent fleet coordination, improving perception systems, or making USVs truly self-sufficient, there’s still a long way to go.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
07 Apr 25. Airbus Subsidiary Survey Copter Unveils New VTOL Version of Aliaca. At the Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) in Bordeaux (France), Survey Copter, an Airbus Defence and Space subsidiary pioneering the light tactical drone systems, presents a new version of its Aliaca drone in VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) configuration. Several demonstration flights have already been successfully carried out in land and sea environments between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. This new version completes the Aliaca range and is already available for sale to potential customers.
“Aimed at also meeting the requirements of land operations, this new configuration will benefit from the experience gained on the Aliaca and in particular from its reliability and robustness, which have been successfully proven at sea during numerous exercises and operations of the French Navy,” says Christophe Canguilhem, CEO of Survey Copter.
In VTOL configuration, the drone is equipped with four propellers enabling vertical take-off and landing while maintaining its fixed-wing propulsion mode during the mission. It has a maximum take-off weight of 27 kg and a wingspan of 3.5 m and length of 2.1 m.
The VTOL configuration is suitable for missions that require manoeuvrability in order to operate in confined spaces with no ground infrastructure. It also meets the need for flexibility for rapid interventions. The drone system is robust and easy to maintain, can be dismantled and transported in light vehicles such as pick-ups, and is quick and easy to deploy day or night with a low acoustic and visual footprint. Building on its success with the French Navy, the Aliaca VTOL will be able to carry out various types of demanding missions. On land, the aircraft can support special operations, tactical situation management through surveillance and reconnaissance, but also the transport of loads, without the need for launch-recovery equipment or infrastructure. Like the Aliaca in fixed wing configuration, this new VTOL configuration comes in 2 versions: one with an electric motor (Aliaca VTOL Evo) with a 3-hour autonomy for a range of 50km and a payload capacity of 2kg; and a thermal version (Aliaca VTOL ER) with a hybrid engine for 6 hours of endurance, a range of 80km and a payload capacity of 3kg.
The VTOL configuration retains the strengths of the Aliaca range: its avionics, its proven and robust data link, its control segment, its energy kit, its flight termination system and its GX5 camera designed and produced at Survey Copter.
This GX5 camera is a high-performance gyrostabilised electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera. For naval applications, the drone also carries an AIS (Automatic Identification System) for detecting ships within a range of several hundred kilometres. This dual-sensor configuration enables it to carry out intelligence and target tracking missions. But the Aliaca is also capable of carrying other payloads.
Identical for all products in the Aliaca range, the ground station has also been developed by Survey Copter. Easy to use and equipped with an automatic pilot mode, it allows the operator to monitor the automatic flight of the drone at all times, while receiving images and AIS data collected by the on-board sensors in real time, day or night. After being certified and qualified by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) as part of the SMDM (Marine Mini Airborne Drone Systems) contract, the fixed-wing version of Aliaca was deployed on around twenty French Navy ships from 2022 onwards. (Source: UAS VISION/Survey Copter)
07 Apr 25. Anduril unveils torpedo-launching ‘Copperhead’ underwater drone. The announcement follows a flurry of similar industry product debuts focused on unmanned systems. Defense tech company Anduril today unveiled a new unmanned undersea vehicle, dubbed Copperhead, built specifically to be launched from larger underwater drones — and in turn, launch an associated torpedo dubbed Copperhead-M.
“Victory at sea will require large fleets of autonomous subsea, surface, and air vehicles capable of bringing advanced awareness and overwhelming adversaries with mass maritime effects,” according to a company statement. “With the Dive-LD and Dive-XL, Copperhead enables a comprehensive, intelligent maritime capability that allows operators to quickly respond to threats in the undersea battlespace, at a fraction of the cost of legacy options.”
Dive-LD and Dive-XL are both relatively large UUVs, also built by Anduril, that can carry and deploy the new Copperhead system — essentially an underwater version of the Air Force’s turducken-like LongShot system. The newer system comes in two models, Copperhead-100 and Copperhead-500, each a different size.
“UUVs are proliferating. USVs are proliferating. The picture, if you will, or the environment above and below the waves is completely changing,” Shane Arnott, senior vice president of programs and engineering at Anduril, told reporters ahead of the Sea Air Space exposition this week. “So, in order to address what is, candidly, a very wide waterfront — the fight against the [People’s Republic of China] in particular is primarily a water-based fight — these types of technologies and products are built to deal with that.”
Arnott declined to comment on Copperhead’s price or whether Anduril has secured contracts with the Defense Department or any foreign government for the product.
Anduril’s announcement comes at a time when numerous companies in the defense industrial base are releasing new models of unmanned vehicles. Defense start-up Saronic in October debuted the largest USV from its Corsair product line. Internationally, France’s Naval Group late last year also unveiled its own new USV, dubbed “Seaquest.” And Textron in January announced its “Tsunami” family of unmanned surface vehicles.
For its part, the US Navy has spent the last several years experimenting with a wide range of commercial-off-the-shelf unmanned systems, while slowly and arduously advancing the programs of record it hopes will one day make up its hybrid fleet’s most advanced capabilities. In general, Navy officials have expressed the most interest in unmanned systems that act like trucks — vehicles designed to carry wide varieties of other payloads and capabilities.
In the meantime, the Navy has also used partnerships with agencies such as the Defense Innovation Unit to select a handful of industry systems for transition into programs of record. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
04 Apr 25. Eureka, Greenroom to unveil autonomous naval attack vessel. The AIRCAT Bengal MC, a 36m SES, will be revealed at the upcoming Sea Air and Space Exhibition in Maryland, US, from 6-9 April. US-based Eureka Naval Craft, in collaboration with Australia’s Greenroom Robotics, is poised to reveal a new autonomous naval attack vessel. The unveiling is scheduled for the upcoming Sea Air and Space Exhibition in Maryland, US, from 6-9 April 2025.
Dubbed AIRCAT Bengal module carrier (MC), the 36 metre (m) surface effect ship (SES) is the product of a joint development effort between Eureka and ESNA Naval Architects, with autonomy and AI software supplied by Greenroom.
Eureka Naval Craft CEO Bo Jardine highlighted the vessel’s capabilities, including its ability to carry a 40-tonne payload at speeds exceeding 50 knots, with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, depending on the payload.
He said: “This is a high-speed, hightech ship able to operate crewed and uncrewed. It is further bristling with lethality and can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and anti-ship naval strike missiles (NSM). This ‘force projection’ capability is very important as it de-risks the reliance on much bigger, more expensive crewed warships to fire missiles.”
Additionally, the vessel will have a lower construction cost, noted Jardine. It can serve in various roles, including troop transport, landing support, electronic warfare, drone operations, and mine warfare.
He also confirmed that the AIRCAT Bengal MC will be marketed to the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and allied navies, including members of AUKUS and Nato, as well as nations such as Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam .
Greenroom Robotics CEO James Keane said that the vessel features autonomous navigation system and software tools designed to augment human capabilities throughout operational phases.
Keane said: “The AIRCAT Bengal MC will benefit from the proven Greenroom Advanced Maritime Autonomy (GAMA) Software system Greenroom have spent years developing and had validated on a 57m decommissioned Armidale-class patrol boat, Sentinel, known as the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT).”
The AIRCAT Bengal MC will expand Eureka’s fleet of AIRCAT vessels, which includes the Bengal, Lynx, Jaguar, and Panther models, each tailored for specific missions.
These vessels are designed with modularity in mind, allowing clients to customise based on operational requirements.
In September l2024, Greenroom Robotics and Austal Australia entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) to focus on collaborative efforts in the watercraft sector.
The SPA aims to develop boat products, services, and technologies that enhance safety, reduce crewing requirements, and enable remote and autonomous operation of vessels produced by Austal Australia.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
04 Apr 25. Congolese militia displays Estonian UAV. A UAV with EOS C written on it was displayed in a video by fighters whose spokesperson identified them as members of the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo (APCLS), a militia that operates in the Masisi area of North Kivu province against the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group. The APCLS spokesperson, who may have been Janvier Karairi, the group’s commander, said the UAV was built in Estonia, operated by Rwanda, and shot down in Masisi on 30 March. He added that two other aircraft were shot down in the Walikale area, about 80 km to the west, during the previous week and called on the government to support the Wazalendo, a collective name for militias fighting M23. The UAV did not appear to have been hit by a weapon, raising the possibility that it crashed due to a malfunction. The EOS C is an electrically powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) surveillance UAV. Threod said it has a maximum take-off weight of 14.2 kg with a 1.1 kg payload, an endurance of up to 3 hours, and a communications range of 50 km. The one displayed by the APCLS appeared to be fitted with Threod’s eOPIC-5 electro-optic system, which has high-definition colour and long-wavelength infrared cameras. Ukraine was previously the only confirmed operator of the EOS C and Threod declined to comment on the recovery of one in the DRC. (Source: Janes)
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LAND:
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SEA;
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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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