AIRO Group has finalized production of its first RQ-35 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones at its US production site in Phoenix, Arizona, marking a key milestone in the program’s industrial expansion.
The US-built RQ-35s, produced to the same standards as their Danish counterparts, completed Phase 1 of AIRO’s manufacturing and validation process. This phase encompassed complete system assembly and a rigorous flight-testing program, which concluded successfully on December 11.
Optimized for GPS-challenged and electronic warfare-heavy environments, the RQ-35 is designed to deliver continuous ISR capability with reduced operator burden. Leaders from AIRO and Danish partner Sky-Watch cited strong transatlantic collaboration in meeting strict engineering and quality benchmarks, while also advancing the platform through the Department of Defense’s Blue UAS certification pathway to facilitate future acquisitions.
Internationally, the RQ-35 ISR—also known as the RQ-35 Heidrun—has gained momentum with NATO members and partner nations. Denmark and Germany have played leading roles, with Germany transferring multiple consignments of the drones to Ukraine, beginning with an initial delivery of 20 systems in mid-2023 and followed by additional units.
Multinational support efforts continued in 2024 when the Netherlands, together with Denmark and Germany, announced a roughly €200 million ($234 million) procurement of RQ-35 Heidrun drones intended for delivery to Ukraine through a coalition framework.
