Red Dragon is built on AeroVironment’s AVACORE software architecture, allowing for rapid development, scalable manufacturing, and modular mission integration. It features the company’s SPOTR-Edge perception system, which enables target detection and classification to support operator decision-making through AV’s proprietary DDIL radio system.
According to AeroVironment, Red Dragon combines autonomy, electronic warfare resilience, and tactical flexibility not previously available in its class. The system is optimised for cross-domain deployment—across air, land, and maritime environments—and can be operated by small teams with minimal training.
“Red Dragon represents a significant step forward in autonomous lethality,” said Jeff Rodrian, Executive Vice President, MacCready Works. “By combining advanced autonomy, GNSS-independent navigation, and mass producibility, Red Dragon delivers a mission-ready system designed for today’s contested battlespace.”
Wahid Nawabi, President & CEO of AeroVironment, stated: “At AV, our mission is to change the way wars are fought—by putting the safety, survivability, and operational advantage of our warfighters first. Red Dragon reflects the kind of breakthrough capability that ensures U.S. and allied forces stay ahead in an increasingly complex threat environment.”
Red Dragon is the first in a new family of autonomous systems being developed by AeroVironment that share a common software and hardware architecture. This unified platform approach is intended to support rapid evolution and mission-specific variants, enabling faster adaptation to changing operational needs.
Source: AV.
