Unmanned Systems - latestdefencenews.com

January 21, 2026
Admin
Mergers & JV

Orqa of Croatia Partners With Barzan on Drone Manufacturing

Orqa, a Croatia-based drone technology firm, has signed a cooperation agreement with Qatar’s Barzan Holdings to assess opportunities for localized production of unmanned systems, strengthening defence industry ties between...

January 20, 2026
Admin
Procurement & Contracts

France Launches Serial Production of VSR700

France’s defense procurement agency has awarded Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group a production contract for six VSR700 shipborne uncrewed aerial systems, transitioning the program from demonstration to serial production....

January 20, 2026
Admin
R&D

Auterion Tests One-to-Many Drone Strike

Auterion has conducted a live-fire demonstration of a combat drone swarm at a US military range in Florida, showcasing one-to-many lethal strike capability using small, expendable unmanned systems. During...

January 19, 2026
Admin
New Product Launches

US Navy Set to Field Its First Medium Uncrewed Surface Vessels

The US Navy is set to operationalize its first medium unmanned surface vessels as Seahawk and Sea Hunter enter fleet service and three new USV divisions are formed to...

January 19, 2026
Admin
R&D

Windracers ULTRA UAV Achieves 2× Range With Increased Payload Capacity

Windracers has announced plans to upgrade its ULTRA drone to deliver 200 kilograms of payload across distances of more than 2,000 kilometers, with availability expected within months. The capability...

January 19, 2026
Admin
R&D

DARPA Selects Shearwater AI to Boost UAV Endurance

DARPA has tapped Shearwater Aerospace to support its Albatross program with AI software designed to help drones harness wind energy and significantly increase endurance. As a subcontractor, Shearwater will...

January 17, 2026
Admin
New Product Launches

Proteus Helicopter Becomes UK Navy’s First Pilotless Flight

Leonardo UK and the British Royal Navy successfully conducted the first autonomous flight of the Proteus full-size unmanned helicopter at Predannack Airfield, Cornwall. The flight represents a key step...

January 16, 2026
Admin
New Product Launches

Skyeton Unveils Hydrogen Version of Raybird UAV

Skyeton has reimagined the Raybird unmanned aerial vehicle, replacing its internal combustion engine with a hydrogen-electric motor to enable longer, quieter missions. The hydrogen-electric system currently supports around 12...

January 15, 2026
Admin
Procurement & Contracts

UNAC Selected to Deliver Robotic Explosive Disposal Units to France

UNAC, a French defense manufacturer, has been chosen by the DGA to deliver up to 34 explosive ordnance disposal robots to the French Army under the ROBIN program. This...

January 15, 2026
Admin
Procurement & Contracts

Trust Automation Selected for $490M USAF Drone and Counter-UAS Program

Trust Automation has secured a potential $490‑million contract from the US Air Force to accelerate the development and deployment of unmanned and counter‑drone capabilities. The contract covers the full...