CaliToday (17/9/2025): British firm MGI Engineering has officially launched its new autonomous long-range attack drone, the TigerShark, at the DSEI 2025 defense exhibition in London. The UK-built system is designed to deliver cruise missile-like performance at a significantly lower cost, positioning it as a disruptive new asset for strategic deep-strike operations.
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| Credit: Calibre Defence |
According to analysis from Calibre Defence, the TigerShark is engineered to engage high-value targets far behind enemy lines. It boasts the capability to carry a modular payload, including a powerful 300kg warhead, over a range of 750 km at subsonic speeds. The system offers operational flexibility with both ground and vehicle-based launch options, utilizing a Rocket-Assisted Take-Off (RATO) system for rapid deployment.
Advanced Autonomy in Contested Environments
A key feature of the TigerShark is its advanced autonomous guidance system, powered by Auterion. This integration is designed to ensure mission effectiveness even in GPS-denied or communications-contested environments. The drone leverages a sophisticated combination of terrain mapping and inertial navigation, coupled with integrated edge computing, to enhance its precision and survivability against modern air defense systems.
In a statement, Mike Gascoyne, CEO of MGI Engineering, highlighted the strategic philosophy behind the new drone:
"Our SkyShark demonstrated that a sovereign, affordable drone could deliver precision effects at scale. With TigerShark, we have applied that design philosophy to the long-range domain... giving commanders the kind of strategic strike options that were previously out of reach for many nations."
Building on a Modular Design Philosophy
The launch of the TigerShark follows MGI's successful announcement of the SkyShark tactical drone in July 2025. While the SkyShark is tailored for short-to-medium-range operations with a 20kg payload, the TigerShark dramatically extends both operational reach and strategic impact.
The drone's open-architecture design is central to its value proposition. This allows for rapid in-service upgrades and mission-specific payload flexibility. Potential configurations include not only high-explosive warheads but also electronic warfare (EW) modules or advanced decoy systems to confuse and suppress enemy defenses.
Strategic Context and Market Positioning
The TigerShark's operational logic shares similarities with systems like MBDA's One Way Effector and Russia's Geran-2. However, it is explicitly designed to carry a much larger payload and undertake more demanding missions in highly contested airspace.
Calibre Defence notes that the TigerShark is being positioned as a credible alternative to high-end cruise missile systems. The publication emphasizes that such drones could play a critical role in Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environments, where affordability and the ability to deploy systems in mass are increasingly important.
This strategic role was further elaborated by Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), as cited by Calibre Defence:
“Low-cost, massed systems are the key enablers needed to get high-end, exquisite munitions onto GBAD [Ground-Based Air Defense] targets, rather than a replacement for those high-end weapons.”
In essence, drones like the TigerShark can be used to saturate and overwhelm enemy air defenses, creating openings for more advanced assets. Calibre Defence also contextualized the TigerShark within broader strategic concepts, such as Russia's Strategic Operation for the Repulsion of Aerospace Attack (SORASA), which integrates conventional and strategic weapons across multiple domains to disrupt NATO air power.
MGI Engineering has announced that it plans to begin deliveries of TigerShark systems to partner nations starting in October 2025.
