Secretive FalconWorks and Skunk Works are collaborating to develop a new Blizzard modular multi-mission unmanned aerial system that offers a variety of launch options and payloads.
BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin announced that their secretive FalconWorks and Skunk Works divisions are collaborating to develop Blizzard, a new modular multi-mission unmanned aerial system (UAS). Designed as a rapidly deployable and cost-effective platform, Blizzard is designed to deliver a variety of operational effects, including electronic warfare, strike missions, and cooperative battlefield capabilities.
The system represents the latest developments from both companies to create an affordable, adaptable and autonomous next-generation platform that can operate alongside traditional crewed aircraft and provide additional combat capacity. BAE and Lockheed announced a strategic partnership last year to collaborate on a variety of unmanned autonomous aerial systems and leverage their respective accumulated experience.
Defense’s two most secretive labs rarely work together 🤫 This time, they did.
Meet the Blizzard: a modular, multi-mission unmanned aerial system from BAE Systems FalconWorks and @LockheedMartin Skunk Works®. Various execution options. There is one purpose.
🔗 https://t.co/CBWXKOQ7De pic.twitter.com/H1LWBWl2ki
— BAE Systems (@BAESystemsplc) July 20, 2026
“Through our collaboration with Lockheed Martin, we are delivering disruptive capabilities that can make a real difference to our military customers, enabling them to face the operational requirements of today’s battlefields,” said David Holmes, managing director of FalconWorks at BAE Systems.
Blizzard UAS
BAE Systems said the initial variants of the Blizzard will be designed to be modular and adaptable to a variety of missions. It also offers a variety of launch options, such as air drop, ground launch, sea launch, and wide-body logistics aircraft launch.
The ability to deploy systems across multiple platforms can provide significant operational flexibility to suit mission requirements. For example, an air-launched configuration allows for rapid deployment alongside fighter aircraft, while land- or sea-launched options can provide additional options for ground forces or naval vessels.
The mention of the launch of a wide-body logistics aircraft is particularly noteworthy as it will enable large-scale deployment of autonomous systems in transport aircraft. In a short video released on social media, the company showed off its palletized cruise missile concept, a system similar to the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Dragon (now Dragon Cart).
Details regarding Blizzard’s configuration are still limited, but BAE Systems describes the system as payload-agnostic, allowing operators to integrate different mission packages depending on the effect required. The company highlights several key features, including interoperability with existing and future systems, operation in GPS-denied environments, dynamic rework capabilities, and the weapon’s open system architecture.
These characteristics reflect many of the requirements that have emerged in recent crashes, especially in GPS-denied environments. In fact, militaries increasingly need systems that can operate in highly contested environments, influenced by electronic warfare, degraded communications, and sophisticated air defense networks that are becoming the norm on today’s battlefields.
A key aspect of Blizzards is their ability to create cooperative effects on a target, either independently or as part of a wider network of autonomous systems. This approach is consistent with the broader concept of distributed warfare and drone swarms, where multiple low-cost platforms work together to increase operational effectiveness and complicate adversary decision-making processes.
Among its key features, the BAE system lists time-critical effectiveness, increased lethality of sophisticated munitions and survivability of crew assets, operational flexibility through rapid redesign through spiral development and adaptability across multiple roles. This similarly reflects current defense acquisition trends, with militaries around the world considering lower-cost weapons that better match the value of their objectives and have shorter development times.
