Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has awarded GKN Aerospace a contract to design, develop and flight-test a new uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) demonstrator by mid-2027.

Announced on 26 November and valued at roughly SKr150 million ($15.7 million), the award also covers the development of a bespoke turbojet engine to power the vehicle.

GKN Aerospace says the work – to be performed within 18 months – will include “ground demonstrations of the turbojet engine, fuselage, and onboard systems tailored to specific missions, culminating in flying demonstrations to validate overall system performance”.

“Programme leadership and engine development will take place in Sweden, with the airframe development from the Netherlands,” the company says.

A concept image released by GKN Aerospace shows a wingkit-equipped cruise missile-type design.

“This programme is a great example of how we can work closely with the FMV to rapidly explore new capabilities that are both innovative and cost-effective,” says Stefan Oscarsson, GKN Aerospace’s senior vice-president governmental solutions.

“By producing a larger UAV, we are testing new innovative ways of working and techniques,” says Martin Anderberg, head of fighter aircraft systems at FMV. “The idea is that this should be scalable,” he adds.

Learnings from the activity – which the FMV says also is to “explore the possibilities of using additive manufacturing in different materials for different parts of the system” – will also be used in support of Sweden’s future fighter development programme.

“The focus of this [UAV demonstrator] programme is not on the end product and what abilities it has or does not have, but the way to get there,” Anderberg says.

GKN in 2024 was awarded a separate contract by the FMV to carry out a concept study for the power and propulsion system of a future fighter. That initiative runs until the end of this year.