FlightGlobal
• Dominic Perry
Saab has unveiled a high-end loyal-wingman concept designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft, with potential service entry by the middle of the 2030s if the company secures a development contract. The announcement positions the concept within the growing market for advanced unmanned military aircraft.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
Latest source-backed stories
GKN Aerospace has presented a full-scale mock-up of a new Swedish uncrewed air vehicle, while a clean-sheet turbojet engine intended to power its technology demonstrator has already begun running. The disclosure marks progress on both the vehicle concept and its propulsion system.
Saab has unveiled a high-end loyal-wingman concept designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft, with potential service entry by the middle of the 2030s if the company secures a development contract. The announcement positions the concept within the growing market for advanced unmanned military aircraft.
Romanian Air Force F-16s intercepted and destroyed a suspected Russian unmanned underwater or maritime drone in the Black Sea, reportedly only a few hundred meters from the Neptun Deep offshore gas project. The incident highlights the expanding counter-UAS challenge around critical infrastructure and Europe’s reliance on layered defenses.
The US Army will end its experimental drone battalion in Europe after the unit participates in Exercise Saber Junction in August and September. The battalion will then return to its airborne infantry mission, closing an experiment in organizing drone capabilities within an operational formation.
High activity
Elon Musk is promoting Starlink as a way to provide satellite broadband to India’s least-served regions, including more than 11,000 villages without 4G. The company’s market entry remains stalled amid security concerns and ongoing discussions with the Indian government.
An exercise involving Anduril’s YFQ-44A and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A is helping the U.S. Air Force determine how small teams will control, maintain and rapidly return its future uncrewed fighters to service. The effort highlights the operational challenges beyond procuring hundreds of relatively inexpensive autonomous combat aircraft.
Romania used an F-16 to destroy a drifting marine drone near the Neptun Deep gas project after a NATO-level command handover, while Latvia attributed a separate airspace incursion to Ukraine. The incidents highlight how Russia’s war is creating cross-border risks for critical infrastructure and airspace security.
PDW is seeking a loan from the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital to expand beyond its 90,000-square-foot Drone Factory 01 in Huntsville, Ala. The financing would support additional capacity for manufacturing drones and key components as the company targets production supporting U.S. output of one million drones annually.
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