Weapons Systems
Turkey’s Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned fighter scored the first recorded beyond visual range air-to-air kill by a jet-powered UAV during a Black Sea test on 30 November 2025. In the test conducted with the participation of two F-16 fighter jets of the Turkish Air Force, KIZILELMA locked onto the target
CCA
* Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, with industry partners and the U.S. Air Force, controlled an unmanned aerial system (UAS) from the cockpit of a 5th Gen fighter while in flight. During the flight out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, an F-22 Raptor pilot successfully used an open interface in
Testing
On October 31, 2025, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. completed its “third lifetime” of full-scale fatigue (FSF) testing for the MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). Completion of FSF testing for the third and final lifetime includes a total of 120,000 operating hours (40,000+ flight hours per aircraft life)
Testing
The Spanish consortium SATNUS, formed by GMV, Sener and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía, has recently completed the third flight test campaign of the FCAS/NGWS program, successfully validating the Manned-Unmanned Teaming & Common Systems Demonstrator (MCSD), a platform based on a modified target drone. The campaign included solo flights of the platform,
Testing
A tethered unmanned aircraft system (UAS) by TCOM was field-tested during the U.S. Army’s first armored “Transforming in Contact” (TiC) 2.0 combat training center rotation at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, on November 3, 2025. The deployment, using the Mastodon Beast+ ground system, was part
Testing
On October 21, 2025, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. , Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris Technologies collaborated on a flight test that successfully demonstrated Manned-Unmanned Teaming using an F-22 Raptor fighter jet and a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger unmanned jet. The effort integrated L3Harris’ BANSHEE Advanced Tactical Datalinks with its Pantera software-defined radios
Testing
On November 11, 2025, China marked the 76th anniversary of its air force with the release of a short film titled “Far-Reaching Dreams” showing for the first time its GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealth drone (now renamed Dark Dragon) flying in formation with the J-20 fighter jet and J-16D electronic warfare
VTOL
* UI Helicopter, Korea’s only comprehensive rotary-wing aircraft MRO and service specialist, announced the successful completion of mine detection demonstrations using the Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 unmanned helicopter in the South Sea from Oct. 23, in collaboration with the Republic of Korea Navy. The demonstration proceeded despite adverse weather conditions with
Testing
The US Army is testing Allen Control Systems’ Bullfrog counter-drone weapon station on Abrams tanks and Bradley IFVs. The move reflects an urgent push to give frontline armor its own defence against the fast-evolving drone threat seen in Ukraine and the Middle East. On 30 October 2025, Allen Control Systems
Testing
The City of Helsinki is piloting drone transports for healthcare supplies on an approximately seven-kilometer route from Kyläsaari to the Laajasalo healthcare station in the beginning of November 2025. Kyläsaari is located about 4 kilometres from the Helsinki city centre and Laajasalo is a large island east of the city.
Testing
* Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft took to the sky Oct. 31, the Air Force announced. The service also confirmed that a production decision on the CCA program is still expected in fiscal 2026, despite the ongoing government shutdown. In a release announcing the first flight, the Air Force did
Testing
The Boying T1400 Tandem Rotor Unmanned Helicopter, developed by United Aircraft, successfully completed its maiden flight in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, on October 30, 2025 — marking a key milestone in China’s expanding unmanned aviation capabilities. The T1400, a next-generation tandem rotor unmanned helicopter, represents a significant step