IAI and AEVEX Unveil OmniRaider VTOL UAV at AUSA 2025
At AUSA 2025, Israel Aerospace Industries' BlueBird Aero Systems and AEVEX Aerospace introduced the OmniRaider, a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV. This innovative drone is designed for various applications, enhancing operational capabilities in military and civilian sectors.
Key facts
- OmniRaider is a VTOL UAV developed by IAI's BlueBird Aero Systems and AEVEX Aerospace.
- Designed for military and civilian applications, enhancing operational capabilities.
- Features advanced technology for improved surveillance and reconnaissance.
- Debuted at AUSA 2025, highlighting innovation in drone technology.
- Partnership between Israeli and US aerospace companies.
3 minute read
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and U.S.-based AEVEX Aerospace have unveiled the OmniRaider, a next-generation vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft designed to combine Israeli innovation with American manufacturing. The announcement at the AUSA 2025 exhibition in Washington underscores the deepening collaboration between allied defence industries as unmanned systems take center stage in modern warfare.
The OmniRaider is the U.S. version of IAI’s proven ThunderB-Next Generation platform. Unlike earlier models built in Israel, it will be fully produced and fielded in the United States by AEVEX, headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The arrangement enables both partners to meet U.S. defence sourcing rules while strengthening industrial cooperation and supply chain security — an approach that echoes Europe’s efforts to integrate domestic defence production.
Weighing 110 pounds and capable of carrying more than 20 pounds of equipment, the OmniRaider belongs to the U.S. Army’s Group 3 VTOL drone class. Its defining feature is modularity: the aircraft can host multiple sensors simultaneously, performing intelligence, surveillance, mapping, and signals-intelligence missions in a single sortie. The ThunderB platform previously integrated up to eleven payload types, demonstrating how flexible design can expand tactical value — a trend also seen in Quantum Systems’ AI-driven UAS advancements.
Offering up to 14 hours of endurance and a range of around 100 miles, the system provides persistent reconnaissance and target-acquisition support at brigade level. It is engineered for contested environments, operating in GPS-denied or electronically jammed conditions — capabilities increasingly essential against technologically advanced adversaries.
For IAI, the OmniRaider represents both a commercial and strategic milestone. CEO Boaz Levy said the program merges Israeli design with U.S. production to ensure interoperability among allies while creating domestic jobs. Bob Horky, AEVEX’s Chief Growth Officer, emphasized that manufacturing in Tampa will sustain local employment and provide the U.S. Army with a durable, flexible surveillance platform.
The launch reflects a broader shift among NATO and EU partners toward autonomous systems that combine long endurance with vertical mobility. These drones bridge the gap between small, short-range models and larger runway-based systems, offering agility and persistence suited for Europe’s evolving defence landscape — consistent with the industrial direction set out in the European Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030.
By pairing advanced Israeli technology with U.S. manufacturing, the OmniRaider illustrates how allied nations are adapting to a new era of drone warfare. As Europe and its partners invest in integrated defences and electronic resilience, such collaborative platforms signal the future of military innovation: modular, locally built, and ready for the contested skies of the next decade.
Mr. T (Curator)
Mr. T (Curator)
Mr. T (Curator)
