FLY-R, a French company specializing in the design of aircraft featuring rhomboidal wings, announces the launch of a co-development programme with MBDA, supported by the Tawazun Council, to create a new generation of loitering munitions.

The event took place during the Dubai Airshow 2025, in the presence of senior representatives from Tawazun Council, MBDA and FLY-R, highlighting the shared commitment to advancing cutting-edge unmanned technologies and reinforcing Franco-Emirati industrial cooperation.

This ambitious programme marks a major milestone for the defence and unmanned systems industry and confirms the international recognition of FLY-R’s proprietary technology, renowned for its aerodynamic efficiency, stability and innovative design.

Based on a diamond-shaped wing concept, the new loitering munition will deliver outstanding performance in terms of speed and manoeuvrability. Its unique aerodynamic architecture ensures excellent in-flight stability, can help reduce detectability in certain operational profiles, and exceptional strike precision. Equipped with embedded artificial intelligence and a modular payload, it is designed to operate effectively against a wide range of land and maritime targets.

The programme aims to design, qualify and prepare the industrialization of the system within a short timeframe, leveraging local capabilities and Franco-Emirati expertise. It fully aligns with MBDA’s innovation strategy and with FLY-R’s ambition to contribute actively to the development of the UAE’s Defence and

Technology Industrial Base (DTIB).

Compact, lightweight and easily deployable, the loitering munition can be tube-launched, carried by a single operator, or integrated into a variety of land, naval or airborne platforms. Its operational versatility and aerodynamic performance will make it a decisive asset for the modern armed forces.

“This collaboration reflects the strategic significance of our rhomboidal-wing technology and the confidence placed in our innovative capabilities. By joining forces with MBDA and the Tawazun Council, we are helping to bring forth a new generation of high-value aeronautical solutions, designed and produced in partnership with the United Arab Emirates.”

FLY-R is a French aeronautical engineering company founded on Réunion Island, specializing in the design of aircraft featuring rhomboidal wings. This technology, the result of more than ten years of research and development, combines aerodynamic performance, stability and compactness. FLY-R develops drones and advanced aerial solutions for civil and defence applications, in collaboration with leading institutional and industrial partners. www.flyr-uas.com

Source: FLY-R