Airbus secures 1st Central Asia order for Flexrotor UAS at Dubai Airshow
November 19, 2025
Airbus Helicopters has secured a new foothold in Central Asia after Uzbekistan’s state import agency, Uztechtrade, placed an order for an undisclosed number of Flexrotor uncrewed aircraft systems.
The agreement, announced during the Dubai Airshow, marks the first time the Flexrotor has been acquired by a customer in the region and adds a new strand to Uzbekistan’s gradual investment in unmanned capabilities.
Olivier Michalon, Airbus Helicopters’ executive vice president for global business, said the deal builds on a long relationship with Tashkent.
“Uzbekistan is a long-standing and valued partner for Airbus Helicopters, and we are proud that Uztechtrade has chosen the cutting-edge Flexrotor to advance its uncrewed capabilities,” he said. “This contract marks a pivotal moment, as Uzbekistan becomes the first customer for the Flexrotor in Central Asia.”
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A long-endurance VTOL drone for persistent surveillance
The Airbus Flexrotor sits in a category of its own, a small vertical take-off uncrewed aircraft designed for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
With a maximum launch weight of around 25 kg, the system can remain airborne for 12 to 14 hours, depending on payload and configuration. Unlike larger fixed-wing drones that rely on runways or catapults, the Flexrotor lifts off vertically and transitions into forward flight, enabling operations from isolated land sites or ship decks.
It requires only a 3.7 m × 3.7 m clear area for launch and recovery, a key advantage for maritime surveillance, border monitoring and expeditionary operations without fixed infrastructure.
The platform supports a range of sensor payloads, including EO cameras and maritime surveillance packages. Uzbekistan intends to integrate the Flexrotor into crewed–uncrewed teaming concepts, allowing helicopter crews to receive live feeds directly from the drone to build a more complete picture before entering a mission area.
Growing global demand for the Airbus Flexrotor platform
Uzbekistan’s deal follows an earlier arrangement in which Australian start-up Drone Forge agreed to purchase six Flexrotor systems, totalling 17 aircraft, for Asia-Pacific missions including coastal patrol, environmental monitoring and inland surveillance.
Those aircraft will feature maritime-optimised engines, Starlink connectivity for beyond-line-of-sight operation and PT-6 imaging systems for wide-area observation.
Drone Forge CEO Thomas Symes said the Flexrotor’s engineering has opened new commercial avenues. “We are fully convinced that the Flexrotor, built on a strong engineering heritage, will allow us to tap into new markets with a proven solution where real-time intelligence, mission flexibility and reliability matter,” he said.
Airbus and Drone Forge have been collaborating on the aircraft’s development and integration under a letter of intent signed earlier this year.
Integrated uncrewed operations are gaining traction
Interest in pairing small uncrewed aircraft with crewed platforms is growing across global armed forces. In Spain, the Navy and Airbus conducted a 2023 demonstration linking a Flexrotor with an H135 Nival helicopter, with the helicopter crew receiving live ISR data from the drone in real time.
For Uzbekistan, the acquisition aligns with wider efforts to expand border security and surveillance capabilities. Central Asia’s long, sparsely populated frontiers require persistent monitoring, and the Flexrotor’s endurance and portability appear well suited to those operational needs.
Airbus has not disclosed delivery timelines, but the order positions Uzbekistan among the early adopters of a platform gaining momentum in the uncrewed systems market.
