Unmanned Systems News
The latest news on unmanned systems, counter-UAS and the defence industry, from Europe and around the world.
Unmanned systems: Secretary-General Arnold Kammel calls for an end to silo thinking at DroneVation
Unmanned systems, drones and AI demand more than new procurement programmes: at DroneVation & Defence 2026 in Vienna, Secretary-General Arnold Kammel called for a new mindset – and much closer cooperation between politics, armed forces, industry and research.
Fire Point: how the Ukrainian manufacturer strikes targets deep inside Russia with FP-1, FP-2 and Flamingo
An FP-1 hit a refinery in Tyumen, 2,400 kilometres away: within around four years, Fire Point has grown into a manufacturer of long-range drones, cruise missiles and missiles. An overview of FP-1, FP-2, Flamingo and the partnerships in Europe.
MALE drone Enbata: Thales to supply radar and electronic warfare for Aura Aero
The AirMaster C radar and electronic warfare solutions from Thales have been selected for Aura Aero’s MALE drone Enbata. The project is supported by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the DGA; the first flight is to take place in 2026.
Unmanned ground vehicle Varan: Visionwave shows autonomous UGV platform at Eurosatory 2026
Navigating without GNSS and, if required, purely passively: with the Varan, Visionwave has presented a modular unmanned ground vehicle for electronically contested environments – with up to 500 kilograms of payload and a top speed of up to 70 km/h.
Ground drones for Ukraine: ARX Robotics and Roboneers form ARX Industries joint venture
Through ARX Industries, ARX Robotics and Roboneers plan series production of the Rys Pro system in Germany and Ukraine, backed by both governments and with several thousand ground drones planned for the first year of operation.
Counter-UAS against swarms: EOS and MARSS rely on “human on the loop”
The acquisition by EOS creates a supplier of turnkey counter-UAS solutions. Founder Johannes Pinl explains why humans only supervise during swarm attacks – and what role lasers, cost logic and interceptor drones play.
Unmanned systems: Stark raises 500 million euros in funding round
500 million euros are flowing to Stark: investors such as Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund and the NATO Innovation Fund are financing research and production with which the company aims to bring unmanned systems in Europe to several thousand units per month.
Military drones for the Polish Navy: Shield AI to deliver MQ-35A V-Bat
Poland is buying MQ-35A V-Bat military drones from Shield AI in a contract worth around 16 million US dollars. Operating from ships, the vertical take-off systems are to provide reconnaissance and protect critical infrastructure – capabilities gaining importance in the Baltic Sea.
Unmanned systems made easier to operate: Quantum Systems relies on the Mosaic software ecosystem
Many drones, many ground stations, many interfaces: with Mosaic, Quantum Systems aims to bring unmanned systems from different manufacturers together under one user interface – open to partners, AI-supported and developed entirely in Europe.
Combat drone X-BAT: Greece's air force evaluates AI system from Shield AI
As a loyal wingman for its future F-35s, the X-BAT combat drone is of military and industrial interest to Greece. According to the specialist portal OnAlert, the air force is evaluating the system; Athens is competing mainly with Poland for possible production.
Unmanned systems in teaming: Leonardo M-346FA flies in formation with Baykar's Kizilelma
In Çorlu, Leonardo and Baykar have taken crewed-uncrewed teaming from simulation into the air. Further flight tests are planned for the K-SWARM programme, which aims to bring crewed jets and unmanned systems closer together.
Satellite communications for tactical UAVs: Gilat shows Viper Ka at Eurosatory 2026
Flat, fully digital and without moving parts: with the Viper Ka, Gilat subsidiary Raysat brings Ka-band satellite communications to tactical drones. The focus is on multi-orbit operation against latency, economical power management and scalability.
Counter-UAS on wheels: GDELS shows Pandur with laser, radar and Valhalla turret at Eurosatory
Acoustic sensors, a high-energy laser from Cilas and the Mangart 25 turret: at Eurosatory, GDELS combined counter-UAS capabilities on a Pandur 6×6. Whether this will lead to procurement remains open – Slovenia is said to be very interested.