First Half 2026 Customer Adoption Update

July 22, 2026 – The first half of 2026 saw continued expansion of the C100 platform across U.S. military organizations, allied governments, and defense innovation organizations.

While each achievement reflected a different customer or mission set, together they tell a broader story about how unmanned systems are being fielded today. Increasingly, organizations are not simply acquiring aircraft. They are investing in adaptable platforms that can evolve alongside changing operational requirements while maintaining commonality across units, payloads, and mission profiles.

Across the first six months of the year, repeat procurement became the defining trend.

Building on Success Across the U.S. Army

The U.S. Army expanded employment of the C100 through follow-on procurement, supporting its ongoing modernization efforts.

These awards expanded the capability of C100 aircraft already in the field through additional mission payloads, communications systems, spectrum awareness, assured positioning, navigation and timing (A-PNT), range extension capabilities, operator training, and supporting mission equipment.

We believe the continued investment by the Army reflects a growing emphasis on adapting a common platform to meet evolving operational requirements instead of introducing new aircraft for every mission.

Supporting Expeditionary Operations

Another PDW U.S. Military customer expanded fielded capability through additional C100 platforms, ISR payloads, laser target designation capability, operator training, and supporting mission equipment.

For expeditionary forces operating in dynamic environments, maintaining a common aircraft while configuring it for different missions provides greater operational flexibility and simplifies training, sustainment, and deployment.

The follow-on awards also reinforce an important indicator of fielded capability: operators continue returning to the platform as mission requirements grow.

Growing Adoption Among Allied Partners

The C100's adoption momentum has extended well beyond the United States.

Throughout the first half of the year, NATO allies in Europe and Indo-Pacific partners expanded procurement of C100 aircraft in support of national security, public safety, and disaster response missions.

Many of these customers also elected to expand aircraft already in service through additional payloads, operator training, and mission-specific integrations.

Despite operating in different geographic regions and mission environments, these customers share a common requirement: adaptable aircraft capable of supporting diverse operational needs while remaining easy to configure as missions evolve.

Accelerating Innovation Through Open Architecture

Not every customer acquisition supports operational deployment directly.

PDW continued support for defense research organizations responsible for evaluating next-generation autonomous capabilities, systems integration, and operational prototyping across the broader national security community.

These organizations are using the C100 as a common development platform to integrate emerging payloads, sensors, communications systems, autonomy software, and mission-specific technologies. The system enables engineers to rapidly evaluate new capabilities on a platform already trusted by operators, helping accelerate the transition from experimentation to operational use.

Common Platform, Expanding Capability

Taken together, the first half of 2026 highlights a broader shift occurring across defense.

Organizations are increasingly prioritizing platforms that can adapt through modular payloads, software updates, and mission-specific integrations rather than relying on purpose-built systems for each new mission.

Whether supporting Army formations, expeditionary operations, allied governments, or defense innovation organizations, the underlying requirement remains consistent: operators need systems that can evolve as quickly as the environments in which they operate.

Built with an open architecture and designed for continuous adaptation, the C100 enables customers to expand capability over time while maintaining a common aircraft across an increasingly diverse set of missions.

As operational requirements continue to evolve, the first half of 2026 demonstrated that the future of unmanned systems is not defined by a single system or payload. It is defined by platforms that can continuously adapt alongside the operators who rely on them.

Photos by Sgt. Yvonne Lewis
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.