BELFAST — High-profile British, European and US drone manufacturers are largely refraining from sharing details about how or if they will engage with the United Kingdom’s recently launched project to assess autonomous collaborative platform (ACP) or loyal wingman type aircraft, as the Royal Air Force (RAF) looks to modernize capabilities through a mix of crewed, uncrewed and autonomous systems.
As noted in an ACP Tranche 2 Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) released last month, the UK is focusing attention on capturing “information and insights into the current, and future, ACP industrial landscape for a specific set of systems,” including “disposable” one-way drones that can carry electronic warfare (EW) and kinetic payloads, “signature managed” aircraft that could offer “reduced detectability” against integrated air defense systems and “autonomous solutions.”
The PMEN also makes clear that the MoD is not thinking of making any new ACP procurement decisions for the moment, but rather it wants to first “develop outline procurement strategies for any future acquisition of these systems,” in tandem with gaining an understanding of new systems entering the market, receive insight around capability requirements, costs and production timescales. An informed perspective on “programme delivery and associated risk” is also sought through execution of the notice.
Estimated values of related, future tenders are in the range of £20 million ($26.9 million) to £24 million, with contract dates scheduled between April 2027 to April 2029. A tender for competition is expected to be released in April 2026.
Tranche 2 builds off the UK’s first ACP, labelled StormShroud, that initially entered service in May and combines UK-Portuguese Tekever 3 tactical uncrewed aerial system (UAS) with Leonardo UK’s BriteStorm stand-in jammer. It is operated by the RAF’s 216 Squadron, the UK’s only ACP and loyal wingman unit.
More broadly, ACP planning, guided by the UK’s strategic defense review, evolves around the premise of acquiring systems that are capable of collaborating with in-service and future generations of combat aircraft, like the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) six generation platform, while also being able to operate off British aircraft carriers.
Breaking Defense reached out to six different drone manufacturers who either already have business with the UK or have publicized similar products to the loyal wingman systems outlined under the ACP Tranche 2 notice, to learn of their potential plans on engaging with the MoD. None of those contacted shared which aircraft they might offer.
“I can confirm that Anduril UK, are absolutely bidding for this contract and excited by the opportunity it presents,” said an Anduril spokesperson in a statement. The firm’s US parent company announced a partnership in June with Germany’s Rheinmetall, centered around jointly developing European variants of the defense startup’s Barracuda and Fury drones.
BAE Systems, which is targeting the first flight of a company-produced ACP by early 2026, according to Flight Global, declined to comment. German firm Helsing, manufacturer of HX-2 one way attack drones, did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Leonardo said, “[T]his project relates to a number of areas of expertise in which Leonardo has a strong position, from electronic warfare payloads to air vehicles. At this stage Leonardo is closely evaluating the UK’s requirement for ACPs as it continues to develop.”
AeroVironment, which has previously sold Switchblade loitering munitions to the UK, did not respond to a request for comment.
Rounding off the industry collective, a spokesperson for Spirit AeroSystems said, “[W]e can’t confirm any registration of interest in MOD DE&S [Defence Equipment and Support – the UK’s procurement arm] Preliminary Market Engagement Notices.”
In 2022, the UK cancelled Spirit’s £30 million Project Mosquito loyal wingman demonstrator contract arguing that continued investment did not make a “huge amount of sense,” despite the demonstrator not having been built.
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Author: Tim Martin
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