Overview
- Project NYX, announced Friday by the Ministry of Defence with £10 million in funding, shortlists Anduril UK, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales UK to design autonomous drones that fly with Apache helicopters.
- The aircraft are meant to scout, find targets, jam enemy systems and deliver precision effects while reducing risk to crews, with humans retaining all decisions to fire weapons.
- The MoD will assess all four concepts over the coming months and intends to select up to two for prototype development in Autumn 2026, targeting an operational variant by 2030.
- Industry moves are already underway, with Tekever opening a Bristol Centre for Autonomy and Engineering in June 2026 and Anduril reporting self-funded full-scale surrogate test flights.
- The programme, delivered with UK Defence Innovation, advances the UK’s push into crewed–uncrewed teaming that peers such as Australia’s Ghost Bat and the US Collaborative Combat Aircraft are also pursuing.