As the German trade magazine Europäische Sicherheit & Technik (ESUT) reports, the German Armed Forces the reconnaissance UAV Twister from the Bavarian company Quantum Systems GmbH will be procured.
Twister is to replace the Aladin reconnaissance drone (imaging airborne reconnaissance drone in close range), which has been in service with the Bundeswehr since 2005. The budget committee of the German Bundestag approved the project on December 3. Initially, 147 systems will be ordered for around 16 million euros, which are to be delivered by 2028. According to ESUT, there is also a framework agreement for up to 600 additional systems with a total financial volume of 85 million euros.
Twister is a vertical take-off fixed-wing UAV for the near field. Weighing 3.8 kilograms, the system is 60 centimetres long and has a wingspan of 125 centimetres. With two electric motors, it can operate within a radius of 15 kilometers for up to 90 minutes at a maximum altitude of 3,700 meters while transmitting real-time data. The Twister’s EO/IR video sensor gimbal comes from the same type family as that of the new Magni-X short-range aerial reconnaissance drone of the Austrian Armed Forces.
Next Vision’s Nighthawk2 UZ sensor on the Twister is a dual EO/IR stabilized camera turret designed for remote viewing applications where very low weight is required. With a total magnification of up to 40x, it offers 360-degree all-round detection, automatic target tracking and optional laser target illumination. Alternatively, Twister can also carry an acoustic sensor to locate the sound of artillery or grenade launchers with an accuracy of ±5 degrees.
Twister is capable of precision landings, collision avoidance by day and night and uninterrupted flight operations without satellite navigation (GNSS).
An NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX processor enables integrated AI processing for immediate scene analysis and situation assessment. Communication takes place via an AES-256-encrypted dual-band data link. Twister is also designed to be compatible with the autonomous launch system Drone Port developed by Quantum Systems.
Quantum Systems presented the Twister at the Defense Tech Innovations Forum in Kiev in February 2025. According to the Ukrainian military magazine Militarnyi, Quantum Systems began producing Twister drones in Ukrainian factories for the Ukrainian armed forces in July. Ukrainian armed forces started in July.
Here for further reports on the Bundeswehr, here to further news from Quantum Systems and here to our focus on drones.
