SYOS, a world-leading manufacturer of uncrewed autonomous platforms and vehicles, has today announced an agreement to supply the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) with a portfolio of air, land and sea products and services. 

SYOS will work with the NZDF on a programme of structured experimentation, evaluation, and development to advance uncrewed systems capability.

The contract will see SYOS provide multi‑domain uncrewed autonomous platforms to support the NZDF’s modernisation and capability development priorities, as well as specialist services to the NZDF Capability Branch, to enable advanced testing and capability.

The agreement also includes technical services, training, and operational support to ensure NZDF personnel are equipped to integrate, operate and evaluate emerging technologies effectively.   

Products to be supplied will include:

• Sea: SM300 Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV). 
• Air: SA2, SA7 Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). 
• Land: SG400 Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UGV).

DOWNLOADABLE IMAGERY:  SM300, SG400, SA2, SA7, SYOS CEO Sam Vye

SYOS CEO and founder Sam Vye said, “We’re delighted to support the NZDF and are well-positioned to support the NZDF’s strategic priorities. Our platforms and systems have been proven in some of the world’s most demanding environments, and we’re proud to bring that experience to New Zealand’s capability development.  

“We deliver advanced uncrewed autonomy solutions across air, land, sea and subsurface domains—engineered for missions where reliability and performance are critical. Our expertise in hardware, uncrewed technologies, and AI‑enabled autonomy ensures we can provide scalable, affordable, mission‑ready solutions that deliver real operational advantage.”

He added, “The NZDF’s programme of structured experimentation aligns strongly with how we operate - working shoulder to shoulder with customers and end users to develop solutions that move beyond traditional approaches, to tackle complex, real‑world challenges. We are committed to contributing to the growth of New Zealand’s defence‑technology ecosystem.”

Last month the UK’s Ministry of Defence named SYOS as one of seven firms to advance to the next stage of Project NYX, a project to develop ‘wingman drones’ for the British Army’s Apache attack helicopters.

SYOS / NZDF Multi-domain Solutions:

Sea Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV).  Multi role USVs engineered for extended autonomous operations, delivering speed, endurance and resilience for mission flexibility and operational superiority.  The solutions are combat-proven, scalable, and affordable. SYOS, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of uncrewed surface vessels.

Air Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).  A range of capabilities including advanced intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) platforms and high impact airborne logistics systems.

Land Autonomous Ground Vehicle (UGV). Long endurance, resilient ground autonomy, to improve productivity, detection, and access to hard-to-reach areas.

About SYOS Aerospace

SYOS is a rapidly expanding uncrewed systems technology company that develops and manufactures autonomous vehicles across air, land, sea and underwater domains. The SYOS team comprises industry-leading engineers across multiple disciplines.

Originating in New Zealand, SYOS is now dual headquartered in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, with an established international footprint. The company operates R&D and production facilities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom and maintains an operational and support presence in Ukraine. SYOS is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV). https://syos-aerospace.com