Non-US Aerospace/Defense Companies & Contracts

MADRID - The Spanish Navy has formally allocated EUR1.3 million towards the acquisition of three A900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) from local contractor Alpha Unmanned Systems. The rotorcraft-type UAS systems are being acquired under the auspices of the Navy's Center for Experimentation and Unmanned Vehicles (Ceventa) and is envisioned as deploying from Spanish Navy vessels to perform maritime surveillance and reconnaissance tasks, leveraging the model's EO/IR sensor suite and four hour plus flight window. Prior to this purchase, the Navy had built familiarity with the A900 over several previous years of utilizing the model in shipborne tests and exercises. As with countries around the world, mounting strategic and personnel pressures have made the integration of UAS systems into Spanish force structuresand the attainment of interoperability between UAS systems and manned assets a deepening procurement priority for Spain.

Source: Democrata
Associated URL: https://www.democrata.es/en/economy/the-navy-awards-alpha-unmanned-systems-three-unmanned-helicopters-for-1-3-million/

MÉRIGNAC, Fr. -- Exosens announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Photonis Defense, has been awarded a first delivery order for 1,600 complete systems under the U.S. Army’s Binocular Night Observation Device (BiNOD) program, as part of the broader Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract announced in March 2026.

This initiates the Low-Rate Initial Production phase after key testing and the qualification phase. First product deliveries are expected by the end of 2026, with the bulk of deliveries scheduled throughout 2027. Financial terms associated with this order are not disclosed. The order lays the foundation for regular production of BiNOD systems at Photonis Defense’s U.S. factory.

Source: Photonis Defense
Associated URL: https://www.exosens.com/news/photonis-defense-awarded-binod-order

TOKYO - Japan's Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) has greenlit plans for the serial production and procurement of UAS interceptor systems manufactured via 3D printed components amidst efforts to rapidly scale up its capabilities in response to global strategic tensions.

Japanese UAS specialist Terra drone will manufacture the new systems, to designated the Terra B1, which are reported to be an evolutionary development of preceding Terra's A1 design, which has been donated to to Ukraine. The battlefield environments of the war in Ukraine and Strait of Hormuz have highlighted both the tactical utility of relatively low-cost UAS strike systems such as the Iranian Shahed design and its derivatives, along with the logistical and practical challenge of keeping pace with such threats when relying upon sophisticated but costly conventional air defense systems intended primarily for intercepting more capable standoff weapons. Investment in interceptor systems such as the Terra B1 reflects the growing cognizance of global militaries of their gaps and vulnerabilities in this regard and of the need to invest in the acquisition of low-cost systems in order to both respond to the mounting UAS threat and preserve high-cost conventional munitions for use in more appropriate circumstances. Japan hopes to achieve a significant expansion of its UAS capabilities by 2027.

Source: Defense News
Associated URL: https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2026/08/27/japan-approves-mass-production-of-3d-printed-interceptor-drones/