UK drone maker tests Hellfire on CAPSTONE for Apache wingman bid

A British uncrewed aircraft developer has completed ground trials of its CAPSTONE unmanned system with air-to-surface missile simulators, its chief executive announced, while simultaneously operating as a teaming partner with BAE Systems on the British Army’s Project NYX loyal wingman competition.

Justin Tooth, Chief Executive Officer of Certo Aerospace, disclosed the missile integration testing in a social media post, stating that “Certo Aerospace has tested CAPSTONE recently with certain air-to-surface missiles simulators in various ground trials.”

The statement does not specify which missile systems were simulated, but the released photo showed mock-ups of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile. Certo has advanced CAPSTONE’s weapons integration work to the point of ground-based simulator testing, a meaningful step in the development of an uncrewed system being positioned for combat-relevant missions.

BAE Systems, Britain’s largest defense contractor, confirmed a teaming agreement with Certo Aerospace earlier this year, specifically for the purpose of submitting a collaborative tender for Project NYX, the British Army’s concept demonstrator program to develop autonomous uncrewed air systems capable of operating as loyal wingmen alongside Apache attack helicopters. BAE Systems’ announcement stated the company is “proud to be partnering with this innovative British SME, supporting UK sovereign industrial capability and skills,” per the official statement, and noted that no further comment would be made due to commercial sensitivities. That pairing places Certo alongside one of the defense industry’s most established prime contractors in a competition that the Ministry of Defence has confirmed carries £10 million in initial funding across four selected industry teams.

Project NYX, formally announced by the Ministry of Defence in May 2026, selected four industry partners to develop competing drone designs capable of serving as autonomous wingmen for Army Apache AH-64E attack helicopters. The selected partners, confirmed in the MoD announcement, are Anduril Industries (UK) Ltd, BAE Systems Operations Ltd, Tekever Ltd, and Thales UK Ltd. Under the BAE Systems teaming structure, Certo Aerospace would contribute CAPSTONE as the platform element of BAE’s NYX submission, with BAE providing the systems integration, autonomy architecture, and prime contractor management that a program of this scale requires. The MoD intends to select up to two finalists for prototype development in Autumn 2026, with operational fielding targeted for 2030.

CAPSTONE is a 600-kilogram class uncrewed air system developed by Certo Aerospace, a British small and medium enterprise focused on heavy-lift unmanned aircraft. The platform’s modular undercarriage options have been demonstrated carrying three different cargo systems with payloads of up to 216 kilograms, according to Tooth’s announcement, placing CAPSTONE in a payload class that significantly exceeds most commercially derived unmanned systems and approaches the lower range of conventional helicopter logistics capability. That payload capacity, combined with the modular design philosophy that allows different undercarriage and payload configurations, is central to how Certo has positioned CAPSTONE across both the logistics and combat support roles it is pursuing simultaneously.

The Apache helicopter that CAPSTONE would accompany under Project NYX is the AgustaWestland Apache AH-64E, the British Army’s primary attack rotorcraft, armed with Hellfire missiles, a 30mm chain gun, and advanced targeting systems.

Operating an autonomous wingman alongside the Apache requires the unmanned system to match or approach the Apache’s performance envelope closely enough to be tactically useful, which for a 600-kilogram platform means meaningful speed, altitude, and maneuverability specifications. CAPSTONE’s performance characteristics beyond payload capacity have not been publicly detailed in Certo’s announcements.

The air-to-surface missile simulator testing disclosed by Tooth adds a weapons integration dimension to CAPSTONE’s development profile that goes beyond what a pure logistics or surveillance platform would require. Ground trials conducted with AGM-114 Hellfire missile simulators evaluate the mechanical and electrical integration of the weapon system with the aircraft, confirming that physical mounting, electrical interfaces, and data connections between the aircraft and the simulated munition function as designed before live weapons are introduced in subsequent test phases. The Hellfire, a laser-guided air-to-surface missile with a range of approximately 8 kilometers and a 9-kilogram warhead, is the primary weapon carried by the Apache AH-64E and would be the natural munition choice for a loyal wingman platform designed to operate alongside it.