AVILUS Wespe

The AVILUS Wespe is a German uncrewed coaxial-rotor helicopter designed to move cargo or casualties without a crew aboard, built by a Bundeswehr-pulled Munich startup and first flown in June 2026.

Overview

The Wespe is an uncrewed helicopter developed by AVILUS, a German defense-technology startup based near Munich, for tactical logistics and casualty evacuation rather than strike. It uses a coaxial main-rotor layout with no tail rotor and is designed to carry a payload of roughly 200 kg over about 300 km in its piston-engine form, according to the company's figures reported by hartpunkt and the trade outlet Uncrewed Systems. AVILUS positions it as a system that can fly resupply or medevac missions in conditions where a crewed helicopter would be too exposed or too costly to risk.

The name is German for "wasp." It should not be confused with the Second World War-era Wespe (Sd.Kfz. 124), a self-propelled 10.5 cm howitzer built on the Panzer II chassis; the two share only a name.

It is one of three uncrewed aircraft AVILUS has unveiled since 2025, alongside the electric Grille medevac multicopter and the fixed-wing Bussard. As of mid-2026 it remains a flight-test prototype, not an in-service system.

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