German unmanned air system (UAS) developer Avilus unveiled a pair of new designs during an armed forces day event in Diez on 28 June.

The company describes its fixed-wing Bussard as having been “specifically developed for long-range surveillance and reconnaissance missions”.

Adapted from a certified ultralight aircraft design with a 7.8m (25ft 6in) wingspan, it has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 800kg (1,760lb), including a sensor payload of up to 142kg.

The Bussard is offered with an Argos electro-optical/infrared sensor and PrecISR synthetic aperture radar, both supplied by Germany’s Hensoldt.

Avilus cites an operating endurance of 14h and range of up to 1,350nm (2,500km) for the low-wing, single-engined design.

The unmanned adaptation of the Breezer Sport, produced by Avilus’s wholly-owned Breezer Aircraft subsidiary, is due to perform its first flight in “spring 2026”, the company says.

Its newly revealed Wespe, meanwhile, is a “multi-role helicopter drone designed to support divisional-level logistics”, it says. Other roles could include medical transportation.

Design features include contrarotating main rotors with a diameter of 6.5m. Cruise speed is quoted as 67kt (123km/h), with a 162nm range and 18,000ft operating ceiling.

First flight of the design is scheduled for “summer 2025”, its developer says.

Avilus will offer a piston-engined version with a 650kg MTOW, including a 200kg payload, along with a larger, turbine-powered model. That version’s MTOW will be 900kg, with a payload capacity of 350kg.

The new Bussard and Wespe models have been “engineered for operational domains where type-certified drones or manned aviation would be too costly or too risky to deploy”, the company says.

Avilus also displayed the third and latest iteration of its Grille medical evacuation platform. In development since 2021, the UAS is a 750kg MTOW design optimised for transporting injured personnel.

The enhanced 9X-03 model features a lighter and stronger monocoque fuselage structure, and a damped landing gear to enable operations in complex terrain. It also gains an improved multi-parachute rescue system, and an improved battery system.

A Grille air vehicle and all its support equipment can be transported using a single 20ft ISO shipping container.

Story updated on 2 July with details around planned flight-test schedules.