Airbus consolidates tactical drone lineup under Helicopters division
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Oct 15, 2025

Airbus has unified its small and medium tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) under a single portfolio managed by Airbus Helicopters, integrating Survey Copter, Aliaca, and Capa-X. The restructuring aims to sharpen Airbus' market focus for defense and security clients across its Helicopters and Defence and Space divisions.

"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 have become vital for missions requiring real-time intelligence. They provide high-resolution sensing for ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) and long-endurance ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), supporting naval, expeditionary, and parapublic operations such as firefighting and law enforcement.

Located in Pierrelatte, southern France, Survey Copter has specialized in light tactical drone systems since 1996, supplying more than 300 units to civil and military customers worldwide. Airbus' tactical UAS lineup now includes the 25 kg Aliaca, capable of carrying 3 kg of payload for six hours; the 25 kg Flexrotor, which can lift 8 kg for 12 to 14 hours; the 120 kg Capa-X, adaptable for diverse missions with a 20 kg payload; and the 760 kg VSR700, a stealthy, multi-mission drone tailored for maritime, cargo, and combat roles.

Airbus Defence and Space continues to advance complementary large and high-end UAS systems, including the Eurodrone for European defense cooperation, the SIRTAP for day and night ISR over land and sea, the solar-electric Zephyr HAPS for stratospheric operations, and a range of aerial target drones.

The company's crewed-uncrewed teaming technology enables pilots and helicopter crews to manage drones in flight, extending sensor reach and mission capability while keeping manned aircraft focused on their core operational tasks.

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