At DSEI 2025 Thales and UK firm Autonomous Devices announced a joint programme to develop a modular, turnkey drone‑mounted electronic‑warfare capability for naval and land forces. Schiebel showcased upgraded, weaponised S‑101 and S‑301 CAMCOPTERs and said it hopes operators could begin fielding them from 2026.
Discovered |
Briefing
The announcements underline a near‑term push to weaponise and harden tactical UAS: Schiebel aims to field armed S‑101/S‑301 camcopters from 2026, signaling imminent operational availability for naval and land units.
Thales’ tie‑up to deliver a modular, turnkey drone‑based electronic‑warfare package highlights growing demand for integrated EW payloads on unmanned platforms; this follows demonstrations of integrating loitering munitions and other effectors onto long‑endurance UAS (see the first air launch of a Switchblade 600 from an MQ‑9A: https://hype.aero/?story=0e40a1d1-e8ab-435b-9154-bd07e5b452c5).
The moves fit broader procurement and force‑modernisation trends toward faster fielding of tactical and brigade‑level UAS, reinforcing momentum behind accelerated acquisition and ship/force concepts that embed unmanned systems (see efforts to rapidly field brigade‑level drones: https://hype.aero/?story=12e4e442-28bb-4136-8fcd-189c021f7d63 and carrier plans to expand UAS capability: https://hype.aero/?story=7b628a2b-d182-4a5b-9885-2c2f6464d89e).
Reported By
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Schiebel Launches Armed Camcopters • adj.com.my
FlightGlobal
• Dominic Perry
DSEI 2025: Schiebel reveals two weaponised Camcopter UAVs • Shephard Media
drone-based electronic warfare solution for naval and land forces • aviation-defence-universe.com
Schiebel Unveils Next‑Generation UAS: CAMCOPTER® S‑101 and S‑301 • aviation-defence-universe.com