Aerial Drones & UAV Systems
UAVs, loitering munitions and the systems that fly them — from tactical quadcopters to long-endurance platforms.
Solar-powered military drones: US Army orders K1000ULE for the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force
The US Army is investing almost 20 million euros in solar-powered military drones from Kraus Hamdani Aerospace. The K1000ULE holds an endurance world record and is to take on tasks for the “1st Multi-Domain Task Force”.
AI drone swarm: Thales tests COHESION demonstrator in flight trials
One operator per drone and a permanently stable data link – Thales wants to overcome these two limits with artificial intelligence. In flight tests on 16 October, the COHESION demonstrator showed how autonomously an AI drone swarm could operate.
Camcopter S-100: interview with Schiebel managing director Hannes Hecher
Schiebel is known for its Camcopter S-100. But what can the system actually do? What capabilities does it have, how is it best deployed and which customers rely on the product “Made in Austria”?
Stealth combat drone: France gives Dassault Aviation the go-ahead for a Rafale companion
The occasion was the FAS anniversary in Saint-Dizier, where Sébastien Lecornu announced a stealth combat drone from Dassault Aviation. After 2030 it is to complement the Rafale F5 and build on experience from nEUROn.
Attack drone S-70 Okhotnik-B: Russia shoots down its own “super drone” over Ukraine
At first it looked like a downed Su-25, then photos and videos showed a Russian S-70 Okhotnik-B attack drone. The wreck lies on Ukrainian-controlled territory – the cause of the loss of control remains unclear.
FPV drones on a cable: Russia increasingly deploys wire-guided drones
What began in February as a wreckage find and was still seen as an experiment in summer now worries Ukrainian drone experts: wire-guided FPV drones are immune to jammers, deliver better images and hit extremely accurately.
Camcopter S-100 for EMSA: Schiebel supported coastguard over the English Channel and North Sea
Belgian and French maritime authorities received support from the air: on behalf of EMSA, Schiebel's Camcopter S-100 flew from Gris-Nez – from search and rescue missions to emissions monitoring.
Quantum Systems and ARX Robotics found the UXS Alliance
With the UXS Alliance, Quantum Systems and ARX Robotics want to bring together companies working on unmanned systems in all domains. It will be based in Berlin, centred on a software framework that connects systems regardless of manufacturer.
Akinci combat drone receives Aselsan's Tolun IIR glide bomb
The Bayraktar Akinci combat drone gains another Turkish precision weapon in Aselsan's Tolun IIR. In a test firing on 17 September it hit a target 20 kilometres away, while Baykar announced the more powerful Akinci C.
Bayraktar TB2 S5 retired: Türkiye bids farewell to first drone of its type after 10,000 flight hours
After 750 missions and 10,000 flight hours, the Turkish military has retired its first Bayraktar TB2. The aircraft with tail number S5 is not quite finished, however: manufacturer Baykar will keep using it for training and test flights.
Drone war in Ukraine: Magyar expects a “truly unmanned war” within six to eight months
At the Yalta European Strategy Forum, commander Robert Brovdi, known as Magyar, spoke about his “Birds of Madyar”, the costs of the drone war and a future without pilots. He addressed two messages directly to Ukraine's partners.
AI-controlled drone swarm: Airbus, Quantum Systems and Spleenlab demonstrate autonomous swarm technology
A drone swarm of Vector, Scorpion and Airbus drones flew under the control of a mission AI at the Airbus Drone Center near Manching. The results of the Bundeswehr study KITU 2 are also to support major programmes such as MGCS and FCAS.
Shahed drone with Ukrainian SIM card: why Russia builds 4G modems into the Geran-2
Commercial 4G modems, Ukrainian SIM cards, even a Wi-Fi camera taped on: what the wreckage of the Shahed drone reveals about data transmission and navigation – and where the system's weak point lies.