Military Drones
Military Drones — Page 2
Reconnaissance, strike, and tactical military drone programs.
Coverage
Textron and Merlin Propose Pilotless SkyCourier Cargo Drone
The SkyCourier UX removes the cockpit from a certified twin turboprop and hands it to Merlin's autonomy: three tons, 1,000 miles, half-mile airstrips.
Wingcopter Launches 262 Recon Drone and Moves Into Defence
The German delivery drone maker unveiled a 10 kg tactical reconnaissance aircraft, a defence unit, and a production deal with Ukraine's TAF Industries.
MSPO 2026 Hits 1,000 Exhibitors With Canada as Lead Nation
Poland's defence exhibition sold out two months early and drew a record field, with 25 Ukrainian firms and the first non-European lead nation.
Russia Unveils Dan-T Loitering Munition at Egypt Airshow
Rosoboronexport showed the Dan-T at El Alamein, calling it a loitering munition. On its own figures it flies 450 km at 500 km/h.
Army's first laser production contract goes to AeroVironment
The Army awarded AeroVironment $464.8 million on 2 September for LOCUST X3 laser weapons, the first US production contract for a high-energy laser.
Army orders $51M more Switchblades as rivals enter LASSO
AeroVironment took a $51M Switchblade order on August 26. In the same seven months the Army let a rival into LASSO and the Marines picked Anduril.
Archer Buys Boeing's Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid in eVTOL Deal
Archer is acquiring Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid, absorbing a rival air taxi programme and a profitable military drone unit in one deal.
Neros Raises $250M to Build Interceptor and FPV Drones
Neros raised $250M at a $2.5B valuation and is adding a counter-drone interceptor, moving beyond the FPV airframes that made its name in Ukraine.
Hidden Level Lands $100M OTA for Passive Counter-UAS Sensing
Hidden Level's $100M OTA creates a route to scale passive counter-UAS sensing across Department of War customers—but it is not guaranteed revenue.
Anduril's Barracuda-500M Deal Sets 3,000 Missiles, No Price
The May agreement sets minimums, not a value. A low-cost cruise missile flew at White Sands in August; the Army did not say whose.
DZYNE Unveils Blitz, a Mass-Producible Kamikaze Drone
DZYNE's Blitz is a Group 1 one-way attack drone with 80–150 km range, launched in swarms from a BlitzBox container, aimed at Drone Dominance.
How Europe Is Integrating AI Into Its Military in 2026
Germany, France and the UK lead Europe's military AI integration, from Helsing loitering munitions to Palantir deals, with Ukraine as the live test.
Iraq Unveils SARA 1 Rifle-Mounted Combat Drone
Iraq's National Security Service unveils SARA 1, a quadcopter carrying infantry rifles and thermal cameras for day-and-night fire support.
Pentagon Sends Personnel to Ukraine to Study Drone Warfare
Defense Secretary Hegseth confirmed US personnel are in Ukraine studying drone combat tactics, battlefield experience no NATO ally has.
Safran and Baykar Deal Puts French Sensors on TB2 Drones
Safran will fit its Euroflir optronics and navigation systems to Baykar's TB2, replacing the Canadian L3Harris Wescam MX-15.
Ukrainian Drone Teams Beat NATO Forces in Aurora 2026 Drill
Fewer than 20 Ukrainian FPV pilots repeatedly shut down Aurora 2026, destroying 28 of 32 vehicles in one engagement and an airfield in 20 minutes.
US Army Requests $994M for Counter-Drone Tech in FY27
The Army's FY27 budget request includes $994 million for small counter-UAS capabilities, nearly double the $596 million enacted for FY26.
How $50,000 Drones Are Breaking Modern Air Defenses
A $50,000 Shahed forces a $4 million Patriot shot, and Russia launched 6,583 of them in April. The economics of drone warfare have shifted.
Navy Pays $36.9M to HII for More Lionfish Underwater Drones
Naval Sea Systems Command awarded HII a $36.9M contract modification to produce Lionfish small unmanned undersea vehicles through May 2027.
Red Cat Q1 2026: Revenue Up 849% to $15.5M on NATO Orders
Red Cat Holdings posted $15.5M in Q1 2026 revenue, up 849% year-over-year, with new Black Widow orders from a NATO ally and a second Asia-Pacific customer.
Companies
Anduril Industries
US defense technology company building autonomous weapons, counter-UAS, and AI command software, and manufacturing them at its own Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio.
United States
AeroVironment
US manufacturer of small tactical UAS, loitering munitions and counter-UAS systems, transformed in scale by its 2025 acquisition of BlueHalo.
United States
Shield AI
US defense technology company building autonomous flight software and the V-BAT and X-BAT uncrewed aircraft for military customers.
United States
General Atomics
Privately held US defense contractor whose GA-ASI division builds the Predator and Reaper families of large military uncrewed aircraft.
United States
Baykar
Turkish defense company behind the Bayraktar TB2, the most widely exported armed drone of the past decade, now also the owner of Italy's Piaggio Aerospace.
Turkey
Boeing
Boeing is a US aerospace manufacturer with commercial-airplane, defense and space, and fleet-services businesses.
United States
Red Cat Holdings
US defense drone company supplying NDAA-compliant small unmanned systems for military reconnaissance through its Teal Drones subsidiary.
United States
Quantum Systems
German maker of VTOL reconnaissance drones and autonomy software for European and US defense customers, with large-scale deployment in Ukraine.
Germany
Products
Black Hornet 4
Teledyne FLIR
A 70-gram reconnaissance helicopter a single soldier carries and flies, bought by the US Army since 2018 and sold to forces in more than 45 countries.
Teal 2
Red Cat / Teal Drones
A 1.25 kg night-reconnaissance quadcopter on the Blue UAS list, bought by Border Patrol and Air Force security units. DHS scored it lowest of five cleared drones in 2024, and its maker is now selling a successor.
Black Widow
Red Cat / Teal Drones
The US Army's chosen short-range reconnaissance drone, built for rucksack portability and GPS-denied flight — its position rests on winning the SRR program of record rather than on any single specification.
Funding
Series D
UC Investments, Baillie Gifford, Merlyn Advisors, Crescent Cove, Ventura Capital, Iberis Capital
TekeverSeries C
Sequoia Capital, American Strategic Technology Fund, Interlagos, Valor Equity Partners, Allen & Company, Thiel Capital, Spark Capital, Dylan Field
Neros TechnologiesGrowth
Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Disruptive, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, CPP Investments, General Catalyst, Plural, StepStone
HelsingSeries B
DTCP, British Business Bank, NATO Innovation Fund, Rheinmetall, Inocea Group, HICO, Thesiger Capital Group, BOKA Capital, Supernova Invest, Hakluyt Capital
Kraken Technology GroupContracts
U.S. Navy
Northrop Grumman
Delivery order to retrofit fielded MQ-4C Triton drones with 17 engineering changes for the Navy and…
U.S. Coast Guard
Shield AI
Order 70Z02326F93130011 to add sensors to current and future V-BAT operations, running to 30…
Transportation Security Administration
Dedrone Defense
Split award for fixed and portable counter-drone capability built on a D-Fend EnforceAir2 system…
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Dedrone Defense
Survey, installation, integration, testing and support of a counter-drone sensor suite, task order…
U.S. Navy
Lockheed Martin
Not-to-exceed undefinitized contract for software development and testing of the multi-domain combat…