UAV

The age of uncrewed air combat took a step forward as two Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) JACKAL drones developed by Flyby Technology successfully fired Thales Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) in tests sponsored by the Royal Air Force.

AeroVironment has rolled out its latest variant of its Switchblade 300 loitering missile system, more commonly known as a suicide drone. Building on the previous Block 10C, the Switchblade 300 Block 20 boasts greater endurance and ease of operation.

The US Army has chosen the enhanced vertical liftoff V-BAT UAS developed by Northrop Grumman and Shield AI to take part in the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System competition to find a replacement for the venerable RQ-7B Shadow tactical drone.

BAE Systems has unveiled a fascinating new autonomous, hybrid, VTOL UAV for military use. The STRIX, developed in Australia, folds to fit inside a shipping container, and is capable of carrying 160 kg (353 lb) of payload over 800 km (500 miles).

Atlanta company Hermeus has its sights set on Mach 4 next year, to beat the Mach 3.3 benchmark set by the SR-71 Blackbird way back in 1976. Watch its Chimera hybrid engine nailing the switch between low-speed turbojet mode and hypersonic ramjet mode.

As the world's major powers continue their never-ending arms race into the hypersonic age, the US Air Force has set Leidos to work on a large air-breathing hypersonic drone capable of handling intelligence, recon, surveillance and strike missions.

The US Army's record-breaking Zephyr 8 uncrewed ultra-long endurance drone demonstration came to an abrupt end after an unprecedented 64 days in flight, when an unspecified event brought the aircraft down over the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

The remarkable Zephyr is a stratospheric UAV designed to fly ultra-long endurance missions acting as a solar-powered observation and comms platform. In its latest test, it sailed past its old endurance record two weeks ago, and may still be up there.

SpearUAV has released its Ninox 103 UW Sub-to-Air encapsulated autonomous quadcopter, which it says is the first loitering drone that can be launched from a submarine and other submerged platforms.

Jetpack Aviation has debuted a flight-ready prototype of its P2 Speeder, a sleek carbon fiber "Motorcycle of the Sky" that can carry first responders over hundreds of miles and hit speeds of up to 500 mph in autonomous mode.

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works advanced development programs division has set a new world flight endurance record for a Group 2 (5 to <25 kg (11 to <55 lb)) drone after the company's Stalker VXE remained aloft for 39 hours, 17 minutes, and 7 seconds.

The Royal Navy's 700X Naval Air Squadron has completed intensive testing of heavy-lift drones at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, UK, to determine their fitness for resupplying aircraft carriers and other frontline naval operations.