Qatar’s Barzan Holdings unveils FPV and VTOL drones and unmanned boats at Milipol 2026, with a Ukrainian counter-drone joint venture

Qatar’s state defence company Barzan Holdings used Milipol Qatar 2026, held in Doha from October 20 to 22, as a showcase for the emirate’s turn to domestic defence production. It presented more than a dozen new products in five sectors: autonomous systems, electronic warfare, communications, light weapons and unmanned aircraft.

“This is a significant achievement, especially as we continue to expand Qatar’s domestic defence and security capabilities, in a year in which we had to respond to several regional challenges,” the company said in a statement relayed by Breaking Defense. The emirate has been hit by Iranian missiles and drones, like other Gulf states, and in September 2025 it was the only Gulf state to be struck by Israel.

Five drones, shown for the first time

In the air, Barzan showed five drones for the first time. The largest of the three FPV models, with 15-inch propellers, lifts a payload of up to 4 kg, has a range of 20 km and an endurance of up to 20 minutes. The 10-inch FPV carries up to 2.5 kg over 15 km, with 12 minutes of flight at full load, and the smallest, 7-inch, 1.5 kg over 15 km for up to 15 minutes. For surveillance there are the H-Silent ISR quadcopter, with an electro-optical and infrared sensor, up to 40 minutes’ endurance and a 40 km data link, and the vertical take-off ISR VTOL-400, with a 4 kg payload, a speed of 110 km/h and a maximum operating altitude of 10,000 feet.

Payloads change with the mission. “The system is essentially plug-and-play. It can be configured for surveillance, intelligence gathering, kamikaze operations or interception,” Ahmad al-Mulla, Barzan’s commercial relations manager, told the Gulf Times, noting that the company acts as prime systems integrator, manufacturing inside Qatar.

At sea, and a Ukrainian partner

At sea, the Rasid is an unmanned jet-ski-type craft for surveillance missions, while the Barzan Conversion Solution converts a Coast Guard vessel to operate with or without a crew. According to al-Mulla, it is the first project of its kind developed in Qatar, in cooperation with the Interior Ministry’s Coast Guard. In communications, Secure Comms VPN and Secure Comms CHAT were presented, and in light weapons the BIG556 in 4.5 and 7-inch barrel lengths and the Q1 Corner rifle.

The most ambitious step is a joint venture with Ukraine’s Carmine Sky for “full-cycle” air-defence services. The system will combine radar, radio-frequency sensors, electronic warfare and kinetic (hard-kill) means, to counter threats from FPV drones to jet-powered unmanned aircraft and to protect critical infrastructure. Doha is thus investing in the experience of a country where more than 408,000 Russian drones were shot down this year alone.

Milipol follows January’s DIMDEX, where Barzan signed four strategic contracts worth QAR 3.3 billion with the Qatari Armed Forces, as well as agreements with Indonesia, ST Engineering and Turkey’s TAIS. Qatar is also widening cooperation with Europe, as the letter of intent with France for KNDS and John Cockerill shows.