Aerodata AG has unveiled its new AeroForce X reconnaissance drone in Strausberg, Brandenburg, showing the prototype publicly for the first time at its manufacturing site near Berlin. The system is designed for continuous maritime surveillance and protection against hybrid threats, with the company targeting Bundeswehr interest but naming no customer or price. First flight is planned for October, with serial production targeted from 2029.
The Braunschweig-based company positions the aircraft for monitoring critical infrastructure in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, including threats such as manipulated transponders, suspicious ship movements and risks to undersea cables. The drone is reported to have a 26-metre wingspan, very long endurance and a ceiling of up to 40,000 feet. Its carbon-fibre airframe combines sensors and artificial intelligence for reconnaissance missions.
Aerodata describes AeroForce X as a largely domestic development intended to strengthen German and European technological sovereignty. Brandenburg minister-president Dietmar Woidke attended the presentation and linked the programme to the need for stronger protection of critical infrastructure.