Military Drones
Military Drones — Page 5
Reconnaissance, strike, and tactical military drone programs.
Coverage
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 Is Spending Billions to Build Its Own Military Drones
Germany, France and Poland have set budgets and the EU has loans and a drone shield due by 2027. Nobody has published what Europe's factories make.
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 and Quantum's German Drone Plant Wins a 2027 Order
The joint venture builds Ukrainian-designed Linza and Zoom drones in Germany. Ukraine's National Guard has ordered more for 2027; size undisclosed.
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 Attack Drones Saw Combat Before Mass Production
Central Command confirmed combat use on 28 February; in March the Pentagon's tech chief said there were only dozens. Shield AI is adding swarming.
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.
NODA AI Raises $25M for Autonomous Military Systems
NODA AI closed a $25M Series A led by Bessemer to develop an AI orchestration platform integrating autonomous systems across air, land, sea, and space.
Ukraine Establishes Dedicated UAS Command
Ukraine created a standalone UAS command to centralize drone interception, backed by expanded recruitment and infrastructure.
UVify Raises $41.7M in Korea's Largest Drone Investment
UVify secured $41.7M from CRIT Ventures and Nexon parent NXC, backing a pivot from drone swarm entertainment into defense and autonomous flight.
France Plans Up to 400% More Explosive Drones by 2030
The rise covers explosive drones, not the whole fleet. A Senate report says most of France's drone money still goes to a few big programmes.
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
Quantum Systems
German maker of VTOL reconnaissance drones and autonomy software for European and US defense customers, with large-scale deployment in Ukraine.
Germany
Red Cat Holdings
US defense drone company supplying NDAA-compliant small unmanned systems for military reconnaissance through its Teal Drones subsidiary.
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
General Atomics
Privately held US defense contractor whose GA-ASI division builds the Predator and Reaper families of large military uncrewed aircraft.
United States
Helsing
Munich defence company building AI software, the HX-2 strike drone, the SG-1 Fathom underwater glider and the CA-1 Europa uncrewed combat jet.
Germany
Neros Technologies
US manufacturer of low-cost first-person-view attack drones and counter-UAS interceptors, built around a domestic supply chain outside Chinese components.
United States
RTX Corporation
RTX is a US aerospace and defense company formed from the 2020 Raytheon–United Technologies merger, run as Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon.
United States
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 Aerial
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 Aerial
The US Army's chosen short-range reconnaissance drone, built for rucksack portability and contested airspace — 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
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV)
Saildrone
A year-long maritime surveillance service for the Swedish Navy in the Baltic Sea: four Saildrone…
U.S. Special Operations Command
Tekever
Purchase of Tekever drone systems after validation and acceptance testing; the number, model and…
U.S. Army
L3Harris
Three-year contract from the Army's DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center to develop a long-range…
Powerus
Unusual Machines
Purchase order from Powerus Corporation for US-made drone components (motors, batteries, cameras and…
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Not-to-exceed IDIQ for system improvements, configuration development, integration, production…