Airbus Combines UAS Lines Under Helicopters Division

Our Bureau - : Oct 14, 2025 - : 11:25 pm

Airbus has combined its small and medium tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) — Survey Copter, Aliaca, and Capa-X — into a single portfolio, which will now be managed by the Airbus Helicopters division. The move aims to streamline the market...

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“By incorporating Aliaca and Capa-X into our UAS portfolio, we are building a cohesive family of products and solidifying Airbus’ position as a market leader in the tactical drone segment,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “With this move, we are setting up a centre of excellence that consolidates a comprehensive and complementary portfolio of uncrewed aerial systems and facilitates synergies across the teams that are working to further develop and support them. It will also accelerate the cooperation between drones and helicopters thanks to our HTeaming solution,” he added.

Uncrewed aerial systems provide real-time capabilities for a variety of missions. They support high-resolution sensing for ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) and long-endurance ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), which can benefit naval and expeditionary forces and assist with target acquisition on the battlefield. UAS can also support civil missions requiring surveillance, including firefighting and law enforcement.

Based in Pierrelatte, in the south of France, Survey Copter has been designing, producing, and maintaining light tactical drone systems since 1996. The company focuses on light drone systems for both civil and military applications and has sold more than 300 UAS to national and international customers.

Airbus Helicopters now offers a range of tactical drones to meet defence needs. The Aliaca is a 25 kg UAS capable of carrying up to 3 kg of equipment for 6 hours, supporting reconnaissance and imagery collection. The Flexrotor, also 25 kg, can carry up to 8 kg for 10 to 12 hours, suitable for longer-endurance missions. The Capa-X, at 120 kg, can carry up to 20 kg, providing a flexible system for different missions and terrains. The VSR700, a 750 kg multi-mission drone with a low-profile design, is intended for maritime, cargo, and combat operations. Together, these systems provide options for surveillance, intelligence gathering, and operational flexibility.

In addition to this consolidated portfolio of small and medium drones, Airbus continues to develop and offer multi-mission UAS technologies through its Defence and Space division. These include the Eurodrone, a large long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft for European defence; the high-end tactical SIRTAP UAS for day and night ISR missions; the solar-electric Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS); and aerial target drones.

Airbus has also developed crewed-uncrewed teaming solutions, allowing aircraft and helicopter crews to operate UAS in flight. This approach extends sensor range beyond the aircraft’s line of sight while allowing crews to focus on key tasks.

Uas / Airbus-helicopters / Airbus /

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