Bastion and a partner interior/defense ministry signed a Horizon UAS partnership in July 2022 covering persistent border ISR, shared pilot training, and LinkGrid-compatible video gateways.
The operational need was hours-on-station over long land borders without saturating manned aviation—especially as European airspace and ground forces absorbed Ukraine-related tasking.
Bastion supplied air vehicles, EO/IR turrets, and maintenance trainers; the partner owned airspace coordination and rules of engagement. First detachments reached initial operating capability before winter.
The program became a reference for later Wasp VTOL convoy kits and for Bastion’s argument that unmanned ISR sells best as a trained unit, not a lone airframe.
Source note. Figures cited above come from public
manufacturer product cards, open program documentation, and widely
reported official characteristics. Exact values can vary by
variant, software load, and national configuration.