Military Drones
Military Drones — Page 4
Reconnaissance, strike, and tactical military drone programs.
Coverage
Draganfly Lands AFSOC Deal for Flex FPV Drones and Training
Draganfly secured a partnership with Air Force Special Operations Command to deliver Flex FPV drones and operator training.
EU Commits €1.07B to Drone and C-UAS Defence Projects
The EU approved €1.07B for 57 defence projects under the European Defence Fund, with major funding for drones and C-UAS.
Netherlands Commits €248M to Drone Production for Ukraine
The Netherlands will fund €248M in drone production for Ukraine, covering Dutch-made and Ukrainian-made UAVs.
Skydio Wins $9M USAFCENT Contract for X10 Base Security
U.S. Air Forces Central ordered Skydio Dock and X10 systems to secure American airbases across the Middle East amid active Iranian drone attacks.
Kraus Hamdani's $270M Air Force Award Is Still Unconfirmed
The only matching federal record is a $45 million sole-source contract with $21.7 million ordered. The Air Force has not confirmed $270 million.
Europe's Drone Production Gap: How the EU Plans to Close It
France, Germany, and Poland are spending billions on military drones as the EU produces less than 30% of its own needs.
Germany Commits €4B to Ukraine: Patriots, IRIS-T, Drones
Germany's €4B defense package for Ukraine covers Patriot missiles, 36 IRIS-T launchers, €300M in long-range weapons, and 5,000 AI-guided strike drones.
Royal Netherlands Navy Declares Shield AI V-BAT Operational
The Royal Netherlands Navy has fielded 12 Shield AI V-BAT drones across 8 vessels after testing aboard HNLMS Johan de Witt off northern Norway.
Serbia and Elbit Systems to Build Combat Drone Plant
Serbia's Yugoimport and Elbit Systems will open a joint drone manufacturing facility, with the Israeli firm holding a 51% stake in the venture.
Europe's Drone Procurement Runs 3-6 Months Behind the Tech
European defence procurement cycles are too slow for drone technology that evolves every three to six months, according to BCG analysis.
Japan Scraps Attack Helicopters, Buys Drones Instead
Japan's FY2026 defense budget allocates $70M for five wide-area UAVs to replace its entire attack and observation helicopter fleet.
Darkhive Wins $49.7M Pentagon Contract Under APFIT Program
Texas drone startup Darkhive lands the largest contract awarded under the Pentagon's APFIT program, worth $49.7M for tactical drone systems.
Frontline Robotics Begins Drone Production in Germany
Frontline Robotics and Quantum Systems launched a joint venture in Germany — Ukraine's first official military tech export.
Pentagon Commits $600M to Counter-Drone Systems
JIATF-401 committed over $600M in counter-UAS capabilities for Operation Epic Fury as experts warn investment is overdue.
Army Awards AeroVironment $134M for Red Dragon, P550
The US Army has contracted AeroVironment for its Red Dragon one-way attack drone and P550 reconnaissance platform in deals totaling over $134 million.
LUCAS FLM-136: The US Answer to the Shahed
SpektreWorks' FLM-136 LUCAS is a $35,000 US loitering munition modelled on Iran's Shahed-136, now used in combat against Iran by US Central Command.
PLA Drone Doctrine: Swarms, AI, and Cognitive Collapse
A translated PLA report reveals China's air warfare future: autonomous drone swarms, hypersonic strikes, and AI warfare.
Russia Launches 172 Drones at Ukraine in Single Night Attack
Russia hit Ukraine with 172 Shahed and Gerbera drones overnight April 1-2. Air defenses downed 147. Twenty-two drones struck targets across 12 locations.
Arcanus Aerial Upsizes to $25M for Canadian UAV Production
Canadian drone maker Arcanus has secured a $3.15M lead investment and upsized its Series A to $25M as it moves from development into scaled manufacturing.
FlyFocus Raises €4.5M for NATO UAV Production in Poland
Warsaw-based FlyFocus secured €4.5M led by ffVC to build a dedicated manufacturing facility and launch two new UAV platforms in 2026.
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…