UK Army Shortlists Companies For Loyal Wingman Drones

The UK Ministry of Defence has shortlisted seven defence companies to develop prototype uncrewed 'loyal wingman' aircraft under Project NYX to operate alongside Army Apache attack helicopters, following a pre-qualification phase completed in late 2025. The shortlisted firms—Anduril, BAE Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin UK, Syos, Tekever and Thales—will be reduced to four in March 2026 for R&D contracts, targeting initial operational capability by 2030 and emphasizing AI-driven command-model autonomy for contested operations.