Defence authority launches tender for micro drone systems
A major defence buyer is seeking 196 sensor-equipped micro and mini RPAS with training and maintenance, underscoring rising demand for small tactical drones.
A major defence buyer is seeking 196 sensor-equipped micro and mini RPAS with training and maintenance, underscoring rising demand for small tactical drones.
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The Direzione degli Armamenti Aeronautici e per l’Aeronavigabilità has launched a major procurement for 196 micro and mini-class rotorcraft Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), bundling sensors, ground segments, maintenance support and training services in a contract worth more than €15 million. The Acquisition of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, published on 24th February 2026, points to a sustained push to field large numbers of small, sophisticated air systems backed by full life-cycle support.
Published in February 2026, the contract notice sets out plans to buy 196 RPAS of Micro/Mini rotorcraft class. Each system is described as coming with a suite of sensors, the associated ground segment, maintenance support and training services. That packaging moves the project firmly beyond a simple hardware buy and towards a complete capability, covering both equipment and the skills needed to operate and support it.
The focus on micro and mini rotorcraft suggests an emphasis on small air vehicles where size, manoeuvrability and deployment flexibility are central. While the notice does not spell out mission sets, the inclusion of “various sensors” underlines the requirement for payload versatility and information-gathering. Pairing those payloads with dedicated ground segments indicates a need for integrated control, data reception and processing from the outset.
At a value of more than €15 million, the project represents a significant investment in this class of system. For industry, the scale of 196 systems, combined with the requirement to provide maintenance support and training, favours suppliers able to deliver both mature platforms and robust in-service support models. For the buyer, it offers a route to standardise on a family of systems rather than rely on ad hoc, small-batch acquisitions.
The February 2026 contract notice follows a series of preliminary market signals issued in December 2025 by the same armaments directorate within the Ministero della Difesa. One prior information notice, titled Remote Piloted Aircraft System Procurement, set out plans for a Class MICRO rotary-wing RPAS with military certification, support for various sensors, and accompanying maintenance equipment, technical assistance and training, all in line with safety regulations.
On the same date in December 2025, the Ministero della Difesa Direzione Nazionale Armamenti also published a Mini-Class RPAS Procurement for a Mini-class rotary wing RPAS, again bundling maintenance, training and technical support, alongside a further Remote Piloted Aircraft System Procurement for a fixed‑wing Class MINI VTOL RPAS. Taken together, these earlier notices outlined a family of micro and mini systems across both rotary and fixed‑wing configurations, all with strong emphasis on certification, safety and through-life support. The new contract notice now translates those micro and mini rotorcraft ambitions into a concrete, large‑scale procurement.
The Italian tender sits within a broader pattern of RPAS and unmanned aerial system (UAS) investment across defence, security and border agencies. In February 2026, the Home Office published a prior information notice for a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System Service for the Border Security Command. That notice seeks an experienced provider to supply RPAS to support surveillance and real-time coordination, enhance situational awareness and assist search, rescue and criminal investigations, underscoring how similar technologies are being adopted for civil security as well as military tasks.
Just one day before the Italian contract notice, on 23rd February 2026, the Bundesrepublik Deutschland, acting through the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s procurement office, released a tender for a maritime Unmanned Aerial System. That procurement combines delivery, integration, training and support services, with specified operational characteristics for maritime use, again highlighting a preference for complete system solutions rather than platform-only buys.
Earlier notices show land forces and gendarmeries following a similar path. In September 2025, Unitatea Militara 0251 Bucuresti launched a framework agreement for the Supply of UAV Systems to enhance the Romanian Gendarmerie’s air mobility and address current deficiencies. In October 2025, the Ministry of Defence in another member state issued an Unmanned Aerial Systems Procurement for three variants of unmanned aerial systems with specific requirements for military reconnaissance.
Law-enforcement agencies are also refreshing and expanding their fleets. In October 2025, the Jefatura de Asuntos Económicos de la Guardia Civil published an Acquisition of RPAS for Civil Guard to obtain at least sixty‑six RPAS and replace its unmanned aircraft fleet, including specialised systems for various units. Around the same time, Unitatea Militara 01144 sought multirotor UAS for military training and reconnaissance through its Supply of Multirotor UAS Systems framework agreements.
Border and maritime agencies are moving in parallel. In November 2025, Rajavartiolaitos went to market for a UAS System Acquisition to secure unmanned aerial vehicle systems suitable for year‑round, all‑weather operations supporting its statutory tasks. The Norwegian Defence Material Agency, Forsvarsmateriell, signalled similar intentions in December 2025 with its UAS Procurement for Coast Guard request for information on multirotor and fixed‑wing platforms.
The Italian directorate’s decision to combine platform delivery with maintenance and training mirrors a broader shift towards comprehensive capability packages. In October 2025, Spain’s Air and Space Force set this out explicitly in its framework agreement for Class I MINI rotary‑wing RPAS, published by the Dirección de Adquisiciones del Mando de Apoyo Logístico del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio under the title Class I Mini Rotary Wing RPAS, which covers acquisition, training and maintenance. Education and research bodies are moving in the same direction: in September 2025, Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave sought unmanned aircraft, accessories and radar equipment under its Laboratory Equipment Supply contract, while Politechnika Wrocławska’s February 2026 Delivery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle notice forms part of a public safety technology programme.
Research projects are also probing new concepts and applications. The University of Tartu’s January 2026 tender for Prototypes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles calls for development, manufacturing and testing of unmanned aerial vehicles that mimic raptors. In November 2025, the Geological Institute “Strashimir Dimitrov” at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences sought an autonomous system for high‑precision ground and aerial documentation of landforms under its EU‑funded Delivery of Research Equipment for Geological Institute procurement, again using unmanned systems to expand scientific capability.
As more RPAS enter service, investment in supporting infrastructure and counter‑drone systems is growing. In November 2025, Provinciale Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij West‑Vlaanderen issued a tender for the Purchase of Lifting System for Drones to improve testing and training facilities for sailing and diving drones. In December 2025, TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY launched a procurement for a UAS Primary Radar Procurement to detect and track small, low‑flying, non‑cooperative drones, including equipment, software, documentation, maintenance support and a year of service. And in October 2025, the Dipartimento Amministrazione Penitenziaria sought a Mobile System for RPA Overflights to counter overflights of penitentiary institutions by remotely piloted aircraft, even including an option for an additional system.
The Direzione degli Armamenti Aeronautici e per l’Aeronavigabilità’s February 2026 tender confirms that micro and mini rotorcraft RPAS are now a central element of defence procurement, not a niche experiment. With 196 systems on the table, and maintenance and training embedded from the start, the contract has the potential to shape both industrial supply and in‑service support models in this segment.
Across defence, security, research and civil protection, recent tenders and prior information notices point to continuing growth in unmanned systems, accompanied by investment in training, test facilities and counter‑drone capabilities. The next steps to watch will be how far contract awards, including this latest RPAS acquisition, consolidate around common technical standards and support arrangements – and how quickly parallel investments in detection and protection keep pace with the expanding drone fleets.
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