Israeli Drones Draw Eastern European Interest as UAE Secures Defense Deals
Israel's defense sector gains traction in Eastern Europe as Aero Sentinel eyes mass production, while the UAE secures major deals for unmanned military hardware.
Israel's defense industry remains among the most sought-after in the world, with nations near the conflict in Ukraine showing growing interest in domestically produced drones. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates is making waves by selling unmanned helicopters worth billions. All this and more in this week's defense industries column.
Israeli Drone Manufacturer Exhibits in Eastern Europe
The Russia-Ukraine war has demonstrated just how critical independence in the drone sector is, as Western countries strive to disengage from Chinese products—even though they are the cheapest available. Amid this backdrop, an intriguing Israeli company is Aero Sentinel, which aims to become the country's first to mass-produce reconnaissance drones. Romania has shown keen interest in this output, having acquired Rafael's Spyder air defense systems a few months ago in a mega-deal worth over 2 billion euros.
While participating in the MSPO exhibition in Poland alongside other Israeli companies, Aero Sentinel took part in a military exercise in Romania via a local partner. During the drill, its G2 drone was deployed, demonstrating impressive operational performance and resilience in jam-dense environments. These disruptions are typically divided into two categories: jamming, which blocks operator communication with the asset, and spoofing, which disrupts satellite navigation signals.
Aero Sentinel's transition to mass production is expected to allow the company to reduce the cost per drone from roughly $30,000 to around $20,000–$25,000. For comparison, American drones, such as those produced by Skydio or Anduril, are priced at about $50,000 per unit, while France's Parrot costs roughly $35,000–$40,000. In the Chinese market, the gaps are vast: EVO drones manufactured by Autel, which the IDF has procured in large quantities, are priced at roughly $10,000–$15,000 per unit.
Iran Celebrates Capture of American Unmanned Submarine
During and after Operation Roaring Lion, Iran recorded various tactical achievements against the US in the realm of weaponry, including the interception of dozens of UAVs and inflicting financial losses regarding munitions economics. However, these losses represent only part of the damage, as a new milestone was recently reached: an entire American unmanned submarine fell intact into Iranian hands. This means the Islamic Republic will be able to perform reverse engineering and duplicate the vessel.
Reverse engineering is a process where experts secure physical custody of a device, deeply analyze its components, and then manufacture a new one through serial production. Iran is well-known for such operations, and it is now benefiting from the autonomous unmanned submarine manufactured by Anduril (Dive-LD). This is a specialized vehicle designed for prolonged reconnaissance missions and additional underwater objectives—part of the broader trend where the maritime domain is also turning to a multitude of unmanned assets.
This is not the first time an American asset has fallen completely into Iranian hands. In 2011, an RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance UAV fell into Iranian hands, and after then-President Barack Obama requested its return, Tehran claimed it had successfully performed reverse engineering. Roughly four years ago, the US Navy deployed forces in the Gulf to prevent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from seizing an unmanned surface vessel.
United Arab Emirates Sells Unmanned Helicopters
Emirati defense conglomerate EDGE announced that it has supplied six HT 100 maritime unmanned helicopters to Angola in a deal worth 1 billion euros (approximately $1.2 billion). The delivery followed rigorous testing of the vehicles conducted by Anavia, a Swiss helicopter-manufacturing subsidiary of EDGE. "The successful tests of the six vehicles represent a significant milestone in the program," the company stated, adding that the handover to Angola "marks progress toward integrating them into corvettes."
Another EDGE subsidiary, Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), closed this deal back in 2023. The unmanned helicopters are one component of a broader package that also included three corvettes, each measuring approximately 71 meters in length. The integration is expected to see two unmanned helicopters stationed on each corvette, providing surveillance and targeting capabilities based on the electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors they carry.
EDGE maintains a distinct Israeli connection: last February, the general assembly of Israeli firm Third Eye Systems approved the sale of a 30% stake in the company to the Emirati conglomerate. The deal was signed in January of last year, under which EDGE will invest approximately $10 million in exchange for roughly 30% of the company's shares, making it the largest shareholder in Third Eye Systems, a developer of AI-based electro-optical systems.
