Project NYX

Project NYX is the UK Ministry of Defence programme to develop autonomous drone loyal wingmen for AgustaWestland Apache AH-64E attack helicopters. Launched in May 2026, the MoD selected four companies for a GBP 10 million assessment phase: Anduril Industries (UK) Ltd, BAE Systems Operations Ltd, Tekever Ltd, and Thales UK Ltd. The assessment phase will run to autumn 2026, when two companies will be selected for the next stage, with an operational variant targeted for 2030. The programme sits within the UK's £4 billion autonomous systems investment commitment, and represents the first formal UK Government programme to develop a loyal-wingman concept for rotary-wing combat aircraft.

Loyal wingmen are autonomous or semi-autonomous uncrewed aircraft designed to fly alongside crewed platforms, extending sensor reach, providing electronic warfare support, and absorbing threat engagement before the crewed aircraft. The US Air Force's CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) programme — which produced the Anduril YFQ-44A Fury — is the reference architecture NYX is implicitly benchmarked against, though the UK's rotary-wing focus is distinct from the USAF's fast-jet emphasis. Anduril's inclusion in the NYX assessment is significant: the same company holds a $20 billion US counter-drone contract, the Golden Dome interceptor role, and CCA production; winning a UK Apache wingman contract would extend its European footprint substantially.

Project NYX is also a test of UK industrial policy. Three of the four selected companies are either US-owned (Anduril), a UK prime (BAE Systems), or a major EU supplier (Thales UK). Only Tekever is an independent European mid-tier. The autumn 2026 down-select will reveal whether the MoD prioritises sovereign capability, transatlantic interoperability, or cost — a choice that will reverberate through UK defence industrial strategy beyond the Apache programme.