Only US has more big drone companies than Israel

Israel’s strength in the field of drones was clearly evident in the operation against Iran. A report recently published by “Defense Post” website entitled the “Top 100 Drone Defense Companies in 2025,” further reinforces Israel’s role as a leading player in the international arena on drone technology. Among the 100 largest companies in the field, eight are from Israel (second in the world after the US), with Elbit Systems ranked in fifth place.

“Defense Post’s” methodology in ranking the companies takes into account annual revenue, R&D investment, growth trajectory, and forward-looking innovation, offering a comprehensive view of the companies truly shaping the future of autonomous defense technologies. To ensure fairness and clarity, companies owned or controlled by governments, such as Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael, were not included.

Israel’s Elbit Systems, ranked ahead of global giant defense companies such as Italy’s Leonardo, Britain’s BAE, the US’s Lockheed Martin, and Germany’s Rheinmetall.

Elbit scores high in the ranking

The main products that saw Elbit ranked fifth are the Hermes 450 and 900 UAVs, and Starliner. The citizens of Iran became familiar with the Hermes UAVs when they took over the skies of the Islamic Republic. The Hermes 900 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for medium altitude and long duration in the sky, with a range of about 1,000 kilometers or more. In contrast, the Starliner is a civilian model, designed to stay in the air for up to 36 hours at a time, fly at an altitude of up to 25,000 feet, and carry camera and radar systems weighing 450 kilograms.

The second Israeli company on “Defense Post’s” list is Aeronautics (ranked 26th), a UAV company that operates various types of devices for a range of mission. For example, there is the MALE UAV (the sector similar to the Hermes 900) Dominator model, with an operating time of 20 hours and a maximum takeoff weight of 1,900 kilograms, and also the heavy Octopus drone, designed for operations of up to four hours and a takeoff weight of 25 kilograms.

Three places behind Aeronautics, ranked 29th, is Israeli company Percepto. The company produces drones designed to be independently launched for reconnaissance and collection activities.

A company with a different area of expertise and a significant international presence is UVision, ranked 38th, which manufactures loitering munitions. The company produces the Hero series of UAVs, which includes lighter models in terms of weight that are operated by fighters in the field, and heavier models that are launched from dedicated platforms.

The Hero 120 has a maximum range of 40-60 kilometers, an operating time of one hour, and the warhead of the Hero 120 weighs about 4.5 kilograms (about 10 pounds). Compared with the 120 model, the Hero 1250 is a large and deadly model, carrying a 50 kilogram warhead, with a range of more than 200 kilometers and an operating time of up to 10 hours.

The other Israeli company in the top 50 is Xtend, which is ranked 41st. The company, which manufactures autonomous drones based on artificial intelligence and tactical drones, won a contract worth $8.8 million with the US Department of Defense about six months ago to supply drones for precision strikes. At the same time, as part of trials conducted by Israel’s Ministry of Defense for systems to combat UAVs, XTEND joined forces with AXIOMA and Elbit, as part of the development of an advanced drone interception system.

Second place after the US>/b>

The other three Israeli drone companies ranked in the top 100 are Urban Aeronautics (67th), CopterFix Pro (68th) and Colugo Systems (96). Urban is a company with commercial and defense activities. In the commercial sector, it has eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicles designed for urban transport, and in the security sector, it has the Cormorant – an autonomous VTOL with internal rotors, designed for tactical logistics and casualty evacuation.

CopterFix is one of the companies in which the Ministry of Defense has invested more than NIS 150 million during the war in R&D and procurement of drones. The drones produced are for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and carry dedicated cameras, and are capable of operating in a GPS-free environment.

Colugo, founded just seven years ago, this month signed an agreement with Eilon Insurance and Financial for an investment of $3 million, in an $8.5 million financing round. Colugo has developed several innovative aircraft models with unique technology, which has been dubbed AWT (Adaptive Wing Technology). The aircraft’s free-floating wings allow for optimal integration between the control systems of a drone and an airplane, and adapt themselves to changing wind conditions.

At the Israeli UAV industry national level there are many reasons for optimism with so many non-government companies, which has earned it second place after the US in the number of companies in the top 100. Israel has overtaken, among others, the UK (5 companies) and France (7).

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on June 26, 2025.

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