Unmanned Systems

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...

Electronic warfare creates a tactical dilemma. Jamming hostile communications can protect troops and disrupt enemy operations, but transmitting interference can also reveal the location...

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

Drones have already removed soldiers from some of the most exposed battlefield tasks, but many dangerous jobs still require people on the ground. Moving...

Drone defense is relatively straightforward when protecting a permanent airbase or critical facility: sensors, command systems and other equipment can be installed around a...

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...

Armored vehicles increasingly need to defend against threats coming from more than one direction. Crews may have to engage ground targets while simultaneously watching...

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

Making a small robot move quickly across unpredictable terrain presents a basic engineering problem. Tiny machines cannot carry large motors or heavy power systems,...

Making drones smaller creates an awkward navigation problem. Cameras become unreliable in darkness, smoke and dust, while LiDAR sensors and the processors needed to...

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

When defenders assess a network for cyberattacks, the most highly connected components can appear to be the obvious targets. Compromise a central hub, the...

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...

Intercepting incoming rockets is only part of the challenge facing modern air-defense systems. During prolonged attacks, the ability to maintain protection depends not just...

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...

Detecting a drone is becoming more difficult as unmanned aircraft become increasingly autonomous. Many counter-UAS systems look for radio signals exchanged between a drone...