Manufacturer catalog

Aeronautics Group

Aeronautics Group is an Israeli defense-aerospace builder focused on unmanned aerial systems, loitering munitions, tactical ISR platforms, and related mission equipment for military and homeland-security customers.

10 weapons

Aeronautics Group is an Israeli unmanned-aerial-systems builder whose official product family centers on the Orbiter line, Aerostar, Dominator, Octoper, and supporting ground-segment products. The company's own materials describe a portfolio of UAS and loitering-munition systems for defense and homeland-security markets, supported by training, maintenance, upgrades, and other lifecycle services.

The company presents itself as an end-to-end UAS house: platforms, payload integration, common ground-segment products, operator training, and field support are all part of the public offer. That context is useful for reading Aeronautics entries in the catalog, because the same builder name can appear on aircraft, mission payloads, communications systems, and electronic-warfare-related equipment.

For this catalog, Aeronautics Group matters because its branded UAS and loitering-munition systems appear as cataloged weapon entries, and the builder profile ties those entries to the company history, current portfolio, subsidiaries, and 2019 acquisition structure.

Unmanned aerial systemsTactical ISR platformsLoitering munitionsHomeland security systemsGround segment and mission supportLifecycle support and training

Notable Systems

Aeronautics Orbiter 1K, Class 1 loitering munition UAS, Aircraft & UAVs

Orbiter family

Class 1 loitering munition UAS

The company's systems page lists Orbiter 5, Orbiter 4, Orbiter 3, Orbiter 2, and loitering-munition variants as part of the Orbiter family; Aeronautics' timeline records Orbiter launches from Orbiter 2 through Orbiter 5.

Sources: Systems, About us
Aeronautics Aerostar NG, Tactical MALE UAS, Aircraft & UAVs

Aerostar

Tactical MALE UAS

Aeronautics presents Aerostar NG in its MALE UAV portfolio and identifies Aerostar as the company's first UAV platform, launched in 2000.

Sources: Systems, About us

Dominator

The company lists Dominator among its core ISR-oriented systems for longer-endurance surveillance missions.

Sources: Systems

Octoper

Aeronautics includes Octoper in its official portfolio as an autonomous heavy multi-rotor tactical platform.

Sources: Systems

Manufacturer History

  1. Aeronautics founded

    The company says it was established in 1997 as a startup focused on unmanned aerial systems, giving the current Aeronautics catalog a long-running UAS lineage.

    Sources: About us

  2. Aerostar launched

    Aeronautics identifies Aerostar as its first UAV platform, a useful anchor for the company's later move into a broader family of tactical and MALE-class unmanned systems.

    Sources: About us

  3. Orbiter 1K launched

    The official Aeronautics timeline lists Orbiter 1K as a loitering-munition UAS launch, marking the Orbiter family connection between ISR aircraft and expendable strike systems.

    Sources: About us

  4. Orbiter 4 launched and IPO held

    Aeronautics says it launched the long-range Orbiter 4 tactical UAS in 2017 and held a Tel Aviv Stock Exchange IPO reflecting a company value above NIS 1 billion.

    Sources: About us

  5. Acquisition announced

    Aeronautics says it was acquired in September 2019 by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Avichay Stolero.

    Sources: About us, Aeronautics acquisition report

  6. Orbiter 5 launched

    Aeronautics' official timeline lists Orbiter 5 as a tactical UAS with MALE mission capabilities, extending the Orbiter product line beyond the systems already represented in this catalog.

    Sources: About us

Subsidiaries
Aeronautics Ltd.CommtactZanzotteraContropMagalCP Technologies
Website links
Official websiteSystemsAbout usLifecycle SupportContact

Aeronautics is commonly referenced as Aeronautics Ltd. or Aeronautics Defense Systems in official and reference sources. The profile uses the catalog facet Aeronautics Group and keeps ownership history limited to the 2019 acquisition reporting. Company claims about customer counts, flight hours, and operational testing are treated as manufacturer background rather than independent performance verification.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Official websitePublisher: Aeronautics | Note: Supports the company's public name, defense and homeland-security market positioning, and general UAS builder background. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • About usPublisher: Aeronautics | Note: Supports the company's history, product launch timeline, subsidiary context, management context, parent-company description, 1997 founding, and 2019 acquisition context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • SystemsPublisher: Aeronautics | Note: Supports the current product portfolio used for notableSystems, including the Orbiter family, Aerostar, Dominator, Octoper, and ground-segment products. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • Lifecycle SupportPublisher: Aeronautics | Note: Supports lifecycle-service context, including training, maintenance, spare parts, upgrades, common ground segments, and customer support around Aeronautics UAS operations. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • ContactPublisher: Aeronautics | Note: Supports official office contact details on the company website. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • Terms & ConditionsPublisher: Aeronautics | Note: Supports the registered office at 10 Nachal Snir St., Yavne, Israel. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • Aeronautics acquisition reportPublisher: Defense News | Note: Supports the September 2019 acquisition structure involving Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Avichay Stolero, plus Rafael's stated rationale for adding Aeronautics' UAS portfolio. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
  • Commons Aeronautics Orbiter UAV imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA licensing for the Orbiter UAV image used on the builder profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Aeronautics Orbiter 1K, Class 1 loitering munition UAS, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAeronautics Orbiter 1KClass 1 loitering munition UASBuilt in: Israel / AzerbaijanThe Aeronautics Orbiter 1K is an Israeli electric loitering munition in the Orbiter family, now marketed by Aeronautics as the Orbiter 2 LM. It combines a mini-UAS launch and recovery footprint with EO/IR target search and a roughly 3 kg fragmentation warhead. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 1K systems and local derivative versions alongside other Israeli and Turkish unmanned weapons during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
EO/IR with Laser Pointer, Electro-optical/infrared sensor payload with laser pointer, Aircraft & UAVsEO/IR with Laser PointerElectro-optical/infrared sensor payload with laser pointerBuilt in: IsraelEO/IR with Laser Pointer is Aeronautics' electro-optical and infrared sensor payload listing for the Orbiter 2 ISR mini-UAS, not a standalone aircraft or munition. Official product material places the payload beside ELINT, COMINT, EW, ATR, VMD, onboard tracker, and communication-jammer options, while independent upgrade coverage describes the Orbiter 2 payload set as including an electro-optical payload with a laser pointer.
Aeronautics Orbiter 2, Mini unmanned aerial system, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAeronautics Orbiter 2Mini unmanned aerial systemBuilt in: Israel / AzerbaijanThe Aeronautics Orbiter 2 is an Israeli fixed-wing mini-UAS for tactical ISR, target acquisition, surveillance, and payload-flexible mission support. Current Aeronautics material presents the Orbiter 2 ISR as a 13 kg, catapult-launched system with EO/IR, electronic-intelligence, communications-intelligence, electronic-warfare, video-processing, and jammer payload options, while Azerbaijan assembled Orbiter-family UAVs through Azad Systems and fielded Orbiter-2 reconnaissance drones in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Aeronautics Orbiter 3 UAV, Small tactical unmanned aircraft system, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAeronautics Orbiter 3 UAVSmall tactical unmanned aircraft systemBuilt in: Israel; AzerbaijanThe Aeronautics Orbiter 3 is a fully electric, runway-independent small tactical UAS built for ISTAR missions and modular payloads. Aeronautics now advertises up to 10 hours of endurance, launcher-and-parachute recovery or an add-on VTOL kit, and payload options that include EO/IR, ELINT, COMINT, EW, SAR, VMD, and MTI. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 3s in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and Aeronautics later announced Greek procurement activity in 2023.

Category

Electronic Warfare

Systems built to sense, relay, jam, deceive, or attack electromagnetic networks.

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