Elbit Systems' FUSE to supply THOR drones to US Army via Mistral partnership

Elbit Systems' FUSE will provide its THOR Group 2 uncrewed aircraft system to the US Army through a partnership with Mistral Inc., following an Army contract awarded to Mistral for company-level small UAS requirements. The backpack-portable, fully autonomous multi-rotor VTOL system supports reconnaissance, surveillance, communications relay, and cargo delivery missions.

Elbit Systems' FUSE will provide its THOR Group 2 uncrewed aircraft system to the US Army through a partnership with Mistral Inc., under an established US cooperation framework, following a US Army contract awarded to Mistral by the Army Contracting Command, according to an official announcement. The system is a backpack-portable, rapidly deployable, fully autonomous multi-rotor VTOL mini-UAS designed to support company-level tactical missions including reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, communications relay, resupply, and limited cargo delivery.

Elbit Systems is an Israel-based defence electronics company. Avandra LLC, Elbit Systems' US-based subsidiary, will provide local training, field, and technical support. The THOR system reduces operator workload through autonomous takeoff and landing, autonomous mission execution, and multi-platform operation, while enabling rapid role changes through modular payload integration.

This development matters for the US Army's small UAS requirements, where company-level units need organic aerial capability that can be scaled for operational demand. The THOR system's configurable architecture supports a variety of mission payloads as requirements evolve.

For the defence UAS industry, the selection validates the technological advantages of mature, configurable multi-rotor systems for tactical units. Stakeholders including company-level commanders, reconnaissance teams, and logistics planners stand to benefit from a rapidly deployable system designed for real operational conditions. The partnership leverages Mistral's US-based integration focus with FUSE's THOR platform.