AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
Italy’s air force has ordered six Astore Levante armed drones from the Leonardo-Baykar joint venture. Certification is expected between late 2026 and early 2027, setting a timeline for the platform’s approval and entry into service.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Italy’s air force has ordered six Astore Levante armed drones from the Leonardo-Baykar joint venture. Certification is expected between late 2026 and early 2027, setting a timeline for the platform’s approval and entry into service.
The Army’s emerging concept of operations assigns uncrewed platforms a role in deceiving adversaries, making guile a core mission alongside their other battlefield uses. The shift signals how the service is framing drones within future operations, though the available report provides no specific platforms or implementation details.
Sikorsky introduced the Nomad 100 Fast Pack, a containerized kit intended to let customers rapidly deploy autonomous vertical takeoff and landing capability from locations with limited infrastructure. The announcement positions portability and rapid setup as central features of the uncrewed aircraft system.
The quadcopter-mounted system completed a live-fire test involving airborne target identification and engagement. FIRE STORM 250 carries Sig Sauer’s M250 light machine gun on a MICROLIGHT weapon station, with a reported endurance of up to three hours and capacity for 200 rounds; a human operator must authorize each shot.
Czech aircraft developer Zuri has chosen Norway’s EdgePerformance to supply a modified piston engine for its Technology Demonstrator 2.0, a hybrid-electric tiltrotor. The flex-fuel engine drives the aircraft’s generator, supporting development of Zuri’s planned uncrewed cargo aircraft.
Skyports Drone Services is using automated beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations to collect regular aerial data for construction teams working on the HumeLink West transmission project in New South Wales. The approach provides site surveys without requiring pilots to be physically present.
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The FAA says the projects will support research and testing to expand drone operations safely in the National Airspace System. Related FAA initiatives include trials of technology to prevent aircraft–ground vehicle collisions at three Phoenix-area airports through year-end, and a multistate program testing eVTOL aircraft and operating concepts.
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