Dubai Airshow 2025 – Unmanned Systems Group unveiled the Supercam S180 reconnaissance UAV

The Supercam S180 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by Unmanned Systems Group, was publicly unveiled as part of the joint Russian exhibition at the Dubai Airshow 2025

The Supercam S180 UAV is designed for monitoring and reconnaissance missions lasting up to two hours, day and night. It is compatible with the main payloads of the Supercam S350 UAV, including full HD video cameras, full-frame still cameras, and HD thermal imagers. It has a more compact size, its wingspan being 1.8 metres versus 3.2 metres of the S350, and can be launched from either elastic or pneumatic catapults. Compared to the S350 UAV, the new drone has an increased payload capacity, 5 kg instead of 2.5 kg, allowing for the installation of additional electronic equipment for radio and video reconnaissance.

As Unmanned Systems reported to EDR On-Line, the Supercam S180 is the latest addition to the Supercam line of fixed-wing UAVs, which have proven themselves in both civilian and military applications. It occupies a niche in the Supercam family between the compact S150 and the larger S350. This compact, lightweight fixed-wing platform, powered by a near-silent electric motor and a two-blade propeller, offers high stability and excellent control. According to a statement from an Unmanned Systems representative “the new UAV’s advantage is that it can conduct aerial reconnaissance at higher speeds than the Supercam S350, which can fly at 65-120 km/h. Its short-term acceleration makes it more difficult for FPV interceptor drones to engage the S180.”

A the end of its mission the S180 lands using a parachute system. No additional performance specifications have been provided, making it difficult to assess tactical use scenarios and the new aircraft’s ability to evade interceptor drones at high speed. Currently, interceptor drones capable of speeds of up to 300 km/h are used in the theater of combat operations.

Nevertheless, the addition of a new member of the Supercam family of UAVs demonstrates that the experience of their combat use in the Ukrainian theater of operations is being closely studied and analyzed by developers seeking new technical solutions to enhance the combat effectiveness of reconnaissance UAVs with a flying wing aerodynamic configuration.

Photo by N. Novichkov