Australia’s DefendTex has been keeping a close eye on drone operations in Ukraine and introduced a fiber optic cable guidance kit for their family of Vengeance FPV drones.
Here you can see the canister mounted to a Vengeance drone sitting atop their Banshee robot.
From Australia comes Boresight and their family of target drones. Designed to be used as an aerial target, the BQ400 quadcopter is a low-cost drone. It has a flight duration of 25 minutes and can fly over 2500m at speed of up to 17.5 m/s.
Using the ground control system, routes are preprogrammed and fly consistently sortie after sortie for live fire gunnery (both kinetic and non-kinetic) training. The one to many control allows one operator to fly up to 10 drones on the same route to mimic swarm scenarios.
Boresight also has a US footprint in Huntsville, Alabama. They are introducing new target drones including a larger quadcopter and Class 1 fixed wing model.
SAN DIEGO – 08 May 2025 – The UK’s Military Aviation Authority has issued a Military Type Certificate to the Royal Air Force’s Protector RG Mk1 uncrewed aircraft, also designated the MQ-9B, certifying that it has passed a rigorous airworthiness assessment and verifying it’s safe to operate without geographic restrictions, including over populous areas. This April 29 decision was a first-of-its-kind milestone for a large, unmanned aircraft system. It’s a huge accomplishment for the UK and a technological watershed in the history of unmanned aircraft systems. GA-ASI is the first manufacturer of large, unmanned aircraft to receive an MTC based on rigorous compliance with STANAG 4671, the NATO standard for unmanned aircraft system airworthiness.
Obtaining the MTC has been a goal of GA-ASI since the inception of the MQ-9B in January 2014. The company took its proven UAS platform, the MQ-9A, and added performance enhancing features while ensuring that the design was capable of meeting NATO’s STANAG 4671 Edition 2 airworthiness requirements. To meet those rigorous requirements, the aircraft incorporates numerous enhancements not found on other large UAS. These include lightning protection, fire protection, anti-icing systems and a fatigue-and-damage-tolerant building block design approach. All flight critical software was designed in compliance with the rigor of Do-178/254. Mission software is rigidly separated from flight critical software. These features not only address the aircraft’s airworthiness but also enhance its reliability and operational flexibility to levels unmatched by other UAS.
“Earning an MTC for MQ-9B was a herculean effort and a seminal achievement for our company,” said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue. “We invested over $500 million as part of an 11-year effort to develop an unmanned aircraft that meets NATO’s rigorous airworthiness standards. This included three flight test aircraft, full component and system-level environmental testing to Do-160 and Mil-Standards (system level environmental testing at Elgin and Pax River), full scale static test airframe test to ultimate ground and flight loads, bird strike, hail protection and full-scale fatigue testing to three lifetimes (3x 40,000 notional aircraft flight hours = 120,000 hours total). Our engineers developed over 140,000 pages of detailed technical data verifying that the MQ-9B met those demanding requirements. I congratulate our team for this outstanding accomplishment, and I know our customers need this type certification, which will open civil airspace for their flight operations.”
The Royal Air Force continues to take delivery of new Protector aircraft at their home in the North of England at RAF Waddington. The UK has 10 aircraft of the 16 it has ordered.
“Achieving the award of a first in class Military Type Certificate has required years of dedication and perseverance and is a testament to the hard work of all involved. It is a privilege to be the first to be awarded an MTC for the Protector Air System,” said Gp. Capt. Neil Venables, Type Airworthiness Authority and holder of the Protector Type Certificate.
MQ-9B is the world’s most advanced medium altitude, long endurance UAS. MQ-9B includes the SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® models as well as the Protector operated by the RAF.
In addition to the UK, GA-ASI has MQ-9B orders from Belgium, Canada, Poland, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan, India, and the U.S. Air Force in support of the Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has also supported various U.S. Navy exercises, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, RIMPAC, and Group Sail.
For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com
The 1MDTF soldiers were joined by members of the Philippine Air Force, 960th Air and Missile Defense Group, who participated alongside their partners as part of the Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) program, and U.S. Marines with the 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion’s Ground-Based Air Defense Battery who employed the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) during this multi-day live-fire event.
“This is a great opportunity for joint training alongside our short-range air defense counterparts from the U.S. Marines,” said U.S. Army Capt. Bray McCollum, battery commander of 1-51 ADA’s Integrated Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) battery.
This is the first time the Army’s IFPC-HPM has been employed in the Indo-Pacific and tested in a tropical environment. This advanced equipment supports the U.S.-Philippine Alliance through enhancing combined military cooperation and advancing our shared commitment to a secure, stable, and free Indo-Pacific region for all.
The IFPC-HPM is a Directed Energy (DE) weapon system that emits a beam of microwave energy that can disrupt, disable, or destroy Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The IFPC-HPM is the first material released DE weapon system specifically designed to counter groups and swarms of drones. The 1st MDTF was the first unit to field the HPMs in February 2024 and has since been conducting tests across a range of environments.
In another first for the Indo-Pacific region, the IFPC-HPM and FS-LIDS were used together in a complementary system. FS-LIDS is another counter-UAS capability that has been operationally deployed in the middle east for the past decade. Together with the IFPC-HPM it can be used for the sensing, tracking, and disabling of UAS while allowing IFPC-HPM operators to gain positive identification of the UAS target using its electro-optical infrared camera. Both systems can be used to disable the targets. This creates a layered defense of non-kinetic effects to defeat small UAS.
“During this test, we were able to demonstrate that we can successfully defeat drone swarms in a tropical environment using layered effects,” said McCollum.
The results of the test will be analyzed by the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) who manage the development, prototyping, and testing of the Army’s Directed Energy weapons. The results will be used to improve the effectiveness in countering UAS swarms and help inform the Army’s future force requirements.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines learned about the IFPC-HPM and FS-LIDS as part of the SMEE program, strengthening their partnership with the U.S. and giving them the skills that could enhance their role in national defense.
“This is a great opportunity to show our Philippine Allies the cutting-edge capabilities that the U.S. Army has in development,” said McCollum, “This training demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our ties with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners.”
As a theater-level unit and joint force enabler, assigned to the Indo-Pacific, the 1st MDTF plays a vital role in synchronizing long-range precision fires layered with long-range precision effects to create multiple dilemmas and neutralize adversary anti-access and area denial networks. The MDTF’s proven innovation, agility, and lethality have led the Army to direct five full MDTFs in strategically significant locations worldwide.
Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces designed to strengthen the alliance, showcase the capable combined force, and demonstrate the commitment to regional security and stability.
By MAJ Ian Sandall, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force
SAN ANTONIO, Zambales, Philippines — The 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion from the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force conducted drone, high altitude balloon, and electromagnetic warfare training alongside Philippine counterparts at Palawan and Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui during the annual 2025 Balikatan exercise.
The battalion is honing its skills on reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and non-kinetic effects using ground-based EW systems, ultra-long endurance, solar powered Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and High-Altitude Balloons (HABs).
A key highlight of the training includes extending network communications for retransmission of signals between multiple aerial capabilities.
“These long-range high endurance UAS are capable of establishing network connectivity between multiple aircraft at long distances,” said Maj. Malcolm Royer, Electronic Warfare Sensing Company commander. “We’re continuing work to extend that range.”
Prior to Balikatan 2025, the unit was at Yakima Training Center in Washington, conducting Static Focus 3, the Army’s first battalion-level All-Domain Home Station Training exercise. This training, held from March 3-14, 2025, was the first time Soldiers were able to operate all MDEB capabilities in a completely live environment. The soldiers were able to bring this knowledge with them to Balikatan 25.
“Static Focus is our annual training and risk reduction exercise to build multidomain teams with capabilities for all domain operations from every company across the MDEB,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joe Mroszczyk, 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion Commander, “Our Soldiers are identifying best practices and training our headquarters elements to operate at dispersed locations ahead of doing the same in the Philippines.”
During Exercise Balikatan 25, the unit trained alongside members of the Philippine Air Force, conducting multiple training balloon launches and UAS sorties. They also coordinated with PAF airspace controllers to deconflict airspace for both Philippine and U.S. air traffic, supporting reconnaissance for the HIMARS live-fire operations conducted by their sister Long Range Fires Battalion. This seamless coordination supports the combined U.S.-Philippine force land-based counter maritime capabilities.
As part of the training, the unit mounted a UAS launch cradle onto the roof of a Philippine Air Force vehicle, showcasing the potential for future collaboration with the PAF in conducting fixed-wing launches from an airstrip.
This type of collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Balikatan 25 enhances our interoperability and helps strengthen our partnership and commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.
Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces designed to strengthen the alliance, showcase the capable combined force, and demonstrate the commitment to regional security and stability.
By MAJ Ian Sandall
No larger than a 3kw portable generator Anduril Industries’ new Pulsar-Light is a software-defined Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) system designed primarily for counter drone operations, combining detect, ID, track, and defeat all in one box.
Deployable in two minutes, Anduril is fielding two configurations of Pulsar-L:
– Airborne, designed for airborne EW missions
– Expeditionary, built for every warfighter
Like other versions, Pulsar-V (vehicle), Pulsar Alpha (airborne) and the fixed-site emplacement, this new Light model can be operated independently or integrated with Lattice. It is also compatible with other C2 and Common Operating Picture solutions, including TAK.
SAN ANTONIO, Zambales, Philippines — The 1st Multi-Domain Task Force recently conducted tests of their Integrated Fires Protection Capability High-Powered Microwave, or IFPC-HPM, and Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial System Integrated Defeat System, or FS-LIDS, in a combined joint integrated air and missile defense live-fire exercise at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui, April 28, 2025.
The 1st MDTF Soldiers were joined by members of the Philippine Air Force, 960th Air and Missile Defense Group — who participated as part of the Subject Matter Expert Exchange program — and by U.S. Marines with the 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion’s Ground-Based Air Defense Battery who employed the Marine Air Defense Integrated System during this multi-day live-fire event.
“This is a great opportunity for joint training alongside our short-range air defense counterparts from the U.S. Marines,” said U.S. Army Capt. Bray McCollum, battery commander of 1-51 ADA’s Integrated Fires Protection Capability battery.
This is the first time the Army’s IFPC-HPM has been employed in the Indo-Pacific and tested in a tropical environment. This advanced equipment supports the U.S.-Philippine alliance through enhancing combined military cooperation and advancing our shared commitment to a secure, stable, and free Indo-Pacific region for all.
The IFPC-HPM is a directed energy weapon system that emits a beam of microwave energy that can disrupt, disable or destroy unmanned aerial systems. The IFPC-HPM is the first material released directed energy weapon system specifically designed to counter groups and swarms of drones. The 1st MDTF was the first unit to field the HPMs in February 2024 and has since been conducting tests across a range of environments.
In another first for the Indo-Pacific region, the IFPC-HPM and FS-LIDS were used together in a complementary system. FS-LIDS is another counter-UAS capability that has been operationally deployed in the Middle East for the past decade. Together with the IFPC-HPM it can be used for the sensing, tracking, and disabling of UAS while allowing IFPC-HPM operators to gain positive identification of the UAS target using its electro-optical infrared camera. Both systems can be used to disable the targets. This creates a layered defense of non-kinetic effects to defeat small UAS.
“During this test, we were able to demonstrate that we can successfully defeat drone swarms in a tropical environment using layered effects,” said McCollum.
The results of the test will be analyzed by the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office who manage the development, prototyping and testing of the Army’s Directed Energy weapons. The results will be used to improve the effectiveness in countering UAS swarms and help inform the Army’s future force requirements.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines learned about the IFPC-HPM and FS-LIDS as part of the Subject Matter Expert Exchange program, strengthening their partnership with the U.S. and giving them the skills that could enhance their role in national defense.
“This is a great opportunity to show our Philippine allies the cutting-edge capabilities that the U.S. Army has in development,” said McCollum, “This training demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our ties with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners.”
As a theater-level unit and joint force enabler, assigned to the Indo-Pacific, the 1st MDTF plays a vital role in synchronizing long-range precision fires layered with long-range precision effects to create multiple dilemmas and neutralize adversary anti-access and area denial networks. The MDTF’s proven innovation, agility, and lethality have led the Army to direct five full MDTFs in strategically significant locations worldwide.
Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces designed to strengthen the alliance, showcase the capable combined force, and demonstrate the commitment to regional security and stability.
By MAJ Ian Sandall
SAN DIEGO – 01 May 2025 – The CCA program represents a groundbreaking new era in combat aviation, and we remain on schedule to test and fly YFQ-42 in the coming months. Over the past three decades, GA-ASI has pioneered more than two dozen different unmanned aircraft types for the U.S. and its allies, including multiple unmanned combat jets flying today, and logged nearly 9 million total flight hours. Our work on YFQ-42 will further expand the field of unmanned aviation, and we remain excited for the future.
We congratulate the Beale AFB community on its selection to support this new era of air dominance, and we look forward to partnering with you as the program progresses. To that end, I’m pleased to announce that GA-ASI will give the Beale community a sneak peek later this summer, with an exhibition of our full-scale YFQ-42 model on display at the Beale Air and Space Expo beginning June 7.
David R. Alexander
President
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
