Uncrewed Systems Technology 063 August/September 2025

• Intro - Rapid technological advancements mean that uncrewed systems are increasingly being promoted for applications over and among humans. But is this easier said than done?
• Platform one: Mission-critical info - VW reveals its self-driving ID.Buzz, Chinese researchers develop a micro UAV with bird-like flight capabilities, a chip-scale laser for Lidar in self-driving cars, energy optimisation for UAV swarms, a traffic management system for 6G networks and more
• In conversation: Christian Ramsey - Integration of UAVs in civilian airspace has considerable safety implications. An aviation safety expert explains what is being done to safely accommodate UAVs in the sky above
• Dossier: Tekever AR3 - Modern high-intensity conflict is driving rapid technological evolution, as exemplified by the latest iteration of Tekever’s AR3 UAV with VTOL capability
• Focus: Performance monitoring - Safe operation of uncrewed systems demands increasing levels of performance monitoring. We investigate the challenges of comprehensive management of airborne and marine UAVs
• Digest: Robotique Occitane ROC-E AIV - One French company is engineering a simple autonomous robot designed to gain acceptance working among humans in a wide range of environments
• Report: Paris Air Show & I.D.S. Denmark - A selection of attention-grabbing innovative aircraft and uncrewed technologies on display at two major trade shows in Europe
• Dossier: NEX Power - One company in the UK is striving to achieve low-cost development and manufacturing of gas microturbines for hybrid-power UAVs, electromobility, and combined heat and power applications
• Insight: UAVs - Unconventional aircraft configurations in UAV design have unleashed engineers’ creativity in search of ever greater performance and efficiency
• Focus: Machine tools - Future successful development of uncrewed systems is heavily reliant on advances in machining technology and the skill of its operators
• Report: XPONENTIAL USA 2025 part 1 - The Xponential USA 2025 trade show in Texas, huge in terms of scale and success, presented much of interest in the field of uncrewed systems. We present the first of our two-part report detailing what was on offer
• PS: Uncrewed creativity? - We consider the possibility that some AI-enabled drones might be showing evidence of creative thought