Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • AdaCore's GNAT Pro selected for Airbus Helicopters' tactical UAS

Defence

AdaCore's GNAT Pro selected for Airbus Helicopters' tactical UAS

Software development and verification tools provider, AdaCore, announced today that Airbus Helicopters (France) has selected the GNAT Pro tool suite and the Ada programming language to develop new software components for the VSR700 prototype project, which is Airbus Helicopters’ tactical unmanned aerial system (UAS), designed to meet army and navy requirements worldwide.

Image courtesy AdaCore

Airbus Helicopters selected AdaCore’s GNAT Pro Ada for PowerPC VxWorks 6.x/Cert based on several criteria, including ease of integration into the existing development infrastructure, the ability to develop monitoring algorithms, and the capacity to help certify the software up to DO-178C Design Assurance Level B.

Advertisement
PTC rectangle

“We selected AdaCore and the Ada language because we believe that this technology and related tools will increase the maintainability and quality of our software and make it easier to provide some evidence for certain software certification objectives,” said Matthieu Vatinet, Head of Embedded Software Products, Airbus Helicopters. “The quality of AdaCore’s support was an important advantage and another anticipated benefit was the ease of developing mature code.”

“Knowing that the Airbus Helicopters team needed to develop highly reliable and safe code for their VSR700 prototype project, we were extremely pleased that they selected Ada and AdaCore,” said Jamie Ayre, Commercial Director at AdaCore. “The GNAT Pro Ada tool suite offers exceptional verification abilities that will help Airbus to detect problems early in their development process when they are easiest and least costly to correct. And our support services will address any questions or issues that may arise.”

Advertisement
ODU RT


 

Advertisement
Gulfstream banner
HMS Active completes float off feat

Defence Events

HMS Active completes float off feat

30 March 2026

Building on the momentum of February's dual milestone event at Babcock’s Rosyth site, the Type 31 frigate programme has reached another significant stage, with HMS Active completing the float-off process.

Lockheed Martin joins MTC as Tier 1 member

Defence

Lockheed Martin joins MTC as Tier 1 member

30 March 2026

Lockheed Martin has joined the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) as a Tier 1 member which will see it collaborate on core research, capabilities and investments and play a key role in managing projects that address some of the pressing challenges being faced by defence industry supply chains.

RFA Lyme Bay gets mine hunting tech upgrade

Defence

RFA Lyme Bay gets mine hunting tech upgrade

30 March 2026

The Royal Navy is stepping up its mine hunting capabilities with new cutting-edge uncrewed equipment being added to RFA Lyme Bay in the coming days.

British Army retire Land Rover fleet

Defence

British Army retire Land Rover fleet

30 March 2026

British soldiers will use a new fleet of thousands of modern vehicles, following the start of the retirement of the iconic Land Rover fleet earlier this month, after 70 years of service.

Advertisement
PTC rectangle
James Heappey joins NAD Board

Defence

James Heappey joins NAD Board

30 March 2026

Former British Minister of State for the Armed Forces from 2020 to 2024 The Rt Hon Major James Heappey has joined the board of Swedish defence tech startup Nordic Air Defence (NAD), developers of the K100XR drone interceptor for civilian and military use.

BAE Systems partners with Scale AI on agentic AI for defence

Defence

BAE Systems partners with Scale AI on agentic AI for defence

27 March 2026

BAE Systems and Scale AI have announced a strategic relationship agreement to accelerate the development and fielding of advanced artificial intelligence capabilities in support of the US Department of War’s (DoW) high-stakes mission environments and operational platforms.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Advertisement
FIA2026 animated banner