Aircraft

Monitoring vast stretches of ocean creates a basic endurance problem. Crewed patrol aircraft can carry sophisticated sensors and respond quickly, but keeping them airborne...

Long-range precision strikes are becoming increasingly difficult as electronic warfare disrupts GPS and communications links across the battlefield. Ground forces need weapons that can...

Mass attacks by one-way drones have created an increasingly difficult problem for air-defense forces. Systems such as the Shahed family can be launched in...

Small battery-powered drones face a basic limitation: endurance. Their motors, batteries and airframes must balance weight against the energy needed to stay airborne, often...

Counter-drone systems have a reaction-time problem. If a hostile UAV is only detected or disrupted once it enters the range of a handheld jammer,...

Counter-drone weapons face a growing range problem. As unmanned aircraft become faster, more maneuverable and capable of operating farther from their targets, air-defense systems...

Precision weapons face a growing navigation problem. GPS can be jammed or unavailable, while weapons that depend on continuous external targeting may lose their...

Moving people and cargo quickly across coastal waters usually means choosing between two very different options. Boats can travel directly between ports but are...

Fixed-wing drones can travel farther and faster than many multirotor aircraft, but operating them can require more space, specialized launch and recovery procedures and...

Modern combat aircraft can share crowded airspace with friendly fighters, allied forces and potential threats, sometimes while traveling at high speed and making decisions...

Drones are useful for surveillance and reconnaissance because they can remain overhead without putting a crew at risk. But they also create signatures that...

Military drones are evolving quickly, but the factories building them do not always move at the same speed. Traditional aircraft manufacturing can depend on...

INNOFENSE was created to identify promising technologies from the civilian market and help unlock their potential for defense applications. Following the progress achieved in...

Drone-on-drone interception becomes considerably harder as the target gets faster. An interceptor not only has to locate and approach another aircraft but also calculate...

Every electrical system inside a drone needs power, and delivering it normally means running wires through wings, fuselage sections, and other structural components. Those...

Have a technology with the potential to make an impact in the defense sector? iHLS, together with the Ministry of Defense and MAFAT, is...

Long-endurance drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper have provided militaries with persistent surveillance and strike capabilities for decades. But future conflicts may demand something...

Autonomous drones can move quickly in open air, but cluttered environments are much harder. Buildings, trees, narrow passages and other obstacles leave little room...

Small drones have created an uncomfortable economic problem for air defense. An inexpensive UAV may cost only hundreds or a few thousand dollars, yet...

Autonomous aircraft can perform well in carefully controlled demonstrations, but real-world aviation presents a much harder test. Busy airports, unfamiliar routes and changing weather...

As more drones share the same airspace, keeping them connected becomes increasingly difficult. Unmanned aircraft may need to exchange high-resolution video, sensor information and...

Building on the achievements of previous INNOFENSE cycles, iHLS, the Ministry of Defense and MAFAT are inviting startups to apply for the program’s seventh...