Unmanned Systems News
The latest news on unmanned systems, counter-UAS and the defence industry, from Europe and around the world.
Industry News
Contracts, partnerships, product launches and market moves from manufacturers and suppliers of unmanned systems.
Startups & Innovators
New companies, funding rounds, first products and market entries.
People & Appointments
Leadership changes, new positions, appointments and profiles.
Loitering munition Virtus from Stark: 45th Armoured Brigade “Litauen” tests it at “Freedom Shield 2026”
Stark's Virtus loitering munition is to be tested for the first time in Lithuania during “Freedom Shield 2026”. The setting is a six-day combat exercise at the Rudninkai training area, while the 37th Armoured Infantry Brigade trains in parallel at “Grand Eagle 26”.
Drone stations for maritime surveillance: Rift begins tests off the French coast
Rift is testing autonomous drone stations that launch drones on their own after a radar alert. The state is funding the trials with 1.3 million euros from “France 2030”. A later roll-out along the French coast has not yet been decided.
Sea drones for the Baltic: Sweden buys surveillance from Saildrone as a service
Four Saildrone Voyager sea drones supply the Swedish Navy with data from the Baltic Sea. The procurement agency FMV is not buying vehicles but surveillance as a service. The contract was concluded within the Nordefco framework.
Maritime drones: Eviden unveils SMX, an electromagnetic navigation sensor
Eviden has developed the SMX speed sensor for surface and underwater maritime drones. It works electromagnetically, emits no acoustic signals and is designed to make autonomous navigation more accurate and reliable.
Unmanned surface vessel Vanta 24: Stark unveils autonomous warship for the Baltic Sea
With the Vanta 24 unmanned surface vessel, Stark is targeting the Baltic Sea: anti-ship missiles, the Cascade loitering munition and the Minerva software are intended to strengthen the combat power of NATO naval forces. It will be built together with FSG Shipyard.
Unmanned cargo aircraft Lifter: Oshkosh Defense and Grid Aero plan series production
Oshkosh Defense is backing an unmanned cargo aircraft from Grid Aero: the Lifter is to be built cheaply and in large numbers. Orders, production figures and delivery dates have not yet been disclosed.
Counter-UAS laser: US Army puts Locust X3 into production with Aerovironment and Leonardo DRS
From testing to production: for the first time, the US Army has ordered a high-energy laser weapon system for drone defence. Quantities, contract value and delivery dates remain undisclosed.
UGV “Ant” receives armoured CaseEvak evacuation module for the wounded
A company from Ternopil is fitting its remotely controlled UGV “Ant” with an armoured capsule: CaseEvak is intended to recover wounded soldiers from threatened sections of the front and to protect and monitor them during the journey.
Drone factory in a container: Sentinel AMS targets the Arctic with StarForge
Instead of shipping spare parts over thousands of kilometres, Sentinel AMS from Québec wants to print drones where they are needed. The mobile drone factory StarForge combines production, a command post with radar and its own power supply.
Drone electronics from Finland: Arctic Ravn secures 2.5 million euros within five days
Instead of the targeted two million euros, Arctic Ravn received commitments of 2.5 million euros in five days. The Finnish company intends to use the funds to advance the production and development of its drone electronics.
Underwater drones at “Nusret 2026”: Belgian Navy trains mine hunting in Türkiye
Off Türkiye’s Aegean coast, Belgium has used autonomous underwater drones to search for naval mines. The multinational exercise focused on shallow waters, exchanges with partner navies and the question of where divers are still needed.
Drone strikes: Ukraine reports more than 1,000 Russian military boats destroyed or disabled
Kyiv has published a monthly tally of its drone strikes on Russian military boats, with July the peak month. The hits are logged in the Delta system and verified by Brave1 – the figures cannot be independently confirmed.
Early warning radar on the MQ-9B: Saab and General Atomics flight-test LoyalEye
Over Southern California, Saab’s LoyalEye early warning radar on board an MQ-9B detected, tracked and classified air targets. For Saab and GA-ASI, the flight test marks a further step towards unmanned early warning systems.