Aero Vodochody and Thales Belgium have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance the L-39 Skyfox’s counter-drone role through continued integration and testing of Thales’ 70 mm guided rocket system. The Czech-built Skyfox, shown publicly in a drone-hunting configuration at NATO Days in Ostrava, is being positioned as a lower-cost air-defence option against unmanned aircraft rather than a pure training jet.
The concept uses guided rockets instead of conventional air-to-air missiles to help cut the cost of intercepting small UAVs. Aero has not identified which rocket variant is covered by the new agreement, and no customer has yet been named for the Drone Hunter configuration.
The Skyfox counter-UAS package first surfaced in armed form at Dubai Airshow 2025, before Aero displayed the setup again in the Czech Republic last month. Thales’ FZ275 semi-active laser-guided rocket has a reported range of 1,500 to 7,000 metres, while the company also unveiled the LGR275 Proxy at Eurosatory 2026 as another option for defeating small drones using a proximity fuze.