Red Dragon
AeroVironment · United States · also known as AeroVironment Red Dragon · Updated
Red Dragon is a one-way attack unmanned aircraft system developed by AeroVironment of the United States, unveiled on 6 May 2025. It is designed to operate in GPS-denied and communications-degraded conditions, navigating and identifying targets without continuous reliance on satellite positioning or an operator link.
Overview
AeroVironment unveiled Red Dragon at SOF Week 2025, describing it as the first of a planned family of platforms built on the company's shared AVACORE software architecture, alongside AeroVironment's existing Switchblade loitering munitions and P550 eVTOL UAS. AeroVironment states the aircraft is designed for mass production and simplified logistics, with a launch rate of up to five aircraft per minute from its catapult. AeroVironment has said at least one unnamed customer has already used the system in combat.
Design and capabilities
Red Dragon is an electrically powered, catapult-launched aircraft that AeroVironment describes as a powered-glider design intended for long dwell times. It has a wingspan of just under 12 ft (3.6 m) and a length of about 6.6 ft (2.0 m), with an all-up weight of about 45 lb (20.41 kg) and a modular payload bay that can carry up to 22 lb (10 kg) — in its standard configuration, a roughly 5 lb explosively formed penetrator warhead, though the bay can also take electronic-warfare or sensor payloads. AeroVironment's data sheet states a flight range of more than 400 km, cruising at about 25 m/s (90 km/h), with a reported terminal sprint speed of up to 100 mph (161 km/h); a separate trade-press account citing AeroVironment gives a shorter 200 km range, a discrepancy to confirm against AeroVironment's own figures. Other reporting describes total mission endurance of roughly five to six hours for the full 400 km profile.
Navigation combines AeroVironment's proprietary visual navigation, digital scene matching and hardened GPS with airspeed sensors, laser range-finders and optical flow from its onboard camera, letting it estimate position without a GPS connection. Terminal guidance uses an optical seeker together with AeroVironment's SPOTR-Edge automatic target recognition system, and communications run over the company's proprietary DDIL (denied, disrupted, intermittent, low-bandwidth) radio. The aircraft is built for "optional man in the loop" control: an operator can receive a video feed after the system identifies a target and make a go/no-go decision, but Red Dragon is not designed to be recovered if it does not engage a target after launch.
Operational history
AeroVironment unveiled Red Dragon at SOF Week 2025 on 6 May 2025. The company has not named a customer, but says at least one unnamed customer has already used the system in combat.
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of the Red Dragon?
AeroVironment's data sheet states a flight range of more than 400 km; a separate trade-press report citing the company gives a lower 200 km figure.
How is the Red Dragon launched?
From a ground-based catapult, at a stated rate of four to five aircraft per minute.
What payload does the Red Dragon carry?
A modular bay holding up to 10 kg, with a roughly 5 lb explosively formed penetrator warhead as the standard configuration.
Does the Red Dragon need GPS to navigate?
No. It combines visual navigation, digital scene matching and hardened GPS with sensor-based dead reckoning so it can operate when GPS is denied.
Who makes the Red Dragon?
AeroVironment, a US defence company that also builds the Switchblade loitering munition family and the P550 eVTOL UAS.
