Teledyne FLIR Defense has unveiled Rogue 1 Block 2, a heavily upgraded version of its loitering munition built for infantry and special operations forces. The company revealed the system at SOF Week 2026, pitching it as a more capable precision-strike platform for battlefields shaped by electronic warfare, contested communications and mobile armored threats.
Double the range
The upgrade follows two years of operational feedback from US military users, including the US Marine Corps' Organic Precision Fires-Light program and US Special Operations Command initiatives. Rogue 1 Block 2 now reaches operational distances exceeding 12 miles, double the earlier model, letting frontline troops engage targets while staying outside many short-range threat zones.
To support the extended reach, engineers redesigned the drone's propeller system for better efficiency during long flights and rapid attack maneuvers, while upgraded battery cells boost endurance by roughly 20 percent. The munition keeps its lightweight, portable design and vertical takeoff and landing, so teams can deploy it in confined terrain or urban areas without dedicated launcher vehicles.
A new anti-armor punch
One of the biggest changes is a new anti-armor payload that incorporates shaped-charge jet technology designed to penetrate more heavily protected targets. The previous Rogue 1 focused mainly on light armored vehicles and troop positions, so the upgrade broadens the platform's mission set against fortified positions and armored assets.
The drone continues to use electro-optical and thermal imaging for target identification and tracking, with a stabilized gimballed payload for clearer imaging and more precise strikes. It can reach speeds of roughly 70 mph to chase moving targets after identification. The move echoes a wider US push into counter-drone and autonomous strike systems, seen in deals such as Perennial Autonomy's $500M counter-drone award and Draganfly's US Army counter-drone contract.
Built for contested warfare
Teledyne also hardened the system for environments where GPS and communications networks face jamming. Block 2 adds dual-band radio for better communication range and electronic-warfare resilience, plus stronger onboard computing that enables higher levels of autonomy and reduces operator workload. Software updates bring track-landing capability, improved mapping and stronger GPS-denied navigation using combined thermal and daylight imagery.
"Over the last two years, Rogue 1 has delivered critical successes for customers," said Tung Ng, vice president of unmanned systems North America at Teledyne Technologies, adding that the upgrades reinforce the platform's role as a flexible precision-strike system. Teledyne has opened Rogue 1 Block 2 for orders and expects deliveries to begin later this year. The launch arrives as crewed-uncrewed teaming advances elsewhere, including the MQ-9B's first flight with Saab AEW pods.
Reporting based on coverage from Interesting Engineering and Teledyne FLIR Defense.