Meet Arrow the world’s first and only supersonic drone
Today's drones are slow and kind of dumb, tomorrow's are fast and smart, and they're going to get faster and smarter ...
Key takeaways
- In the commercial world though Kelley Aerospace of Singapore says it’s already received 100 pre-orders for its new supersonic unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
- The world’s first supersonic drone will sell for some super prices, between $9 and $16 million a pop, and it looks way cool.
- Mach 2.1 is more than twice the speed of sound; close to 2,600 km per hour.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Meet Arrow the world’s first and only supersonic drone', 311 Institute, 3 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/meet-arrow-the-worlds-first-and-only-supersonic-drone/ (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
Drones are getting bigger, they’re also getting more autonomous, can travel greater distances and carry more weight than ever before, and needless to say they’re getting faster with the ultimate drone aircraft perhaps being the new SR-72, a fully autonomous “unmanned” hypersonic drone aircraft from Lockheed Martin that’s designed to replace the famous SR-71 Blackbrid.
In the commercial world though Kelley Aerospace of Singapore says it’s already received 100 pre-orders for its new supersonic unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The world’s first supersonic drone will sell for some super prices, between $9 and $16 million a pop, and it looks way cool.
It owes its styling to its carbon fiber monocoque, its single shell design. It’s apparently lightweight enough to fly more than 4,800 km with a maximum take-off weight of 16,800 kg. I report on lots of different types of military drones, but nothing else other than the SR-72 comes close to this in terms of speed. Mach 2.1 is more than twice the speed of sound; close to 2,600 km per hour.
Kelley Aerospace calls the Arrow a “force multiplier.” Multiple Arrows might be controlled by a piloted combat aircraft, like the F-35 which will soon be able to control swarms of drones in combat, allowing them to perform a variety of different missions on a battlefield. They can also be controlled remotely from ground stations.
The company says the Arrow can be deployed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance tasks.
“UAVs are known for their persistence, loitering, but are never known for their speed. So with the Arrow supersonic UAV, you will overcome the issues of speed and reach.” Kelley Aerospace chief executive Ian Lim says in a statement.
What this means for your organisation
Speed changes the drone threat.
Drones have been known for loitering, not speed. Arrow is said to fly at Mach 2.1, close to 2,600 km per hour, over more than 4,800 km. Drones are already at TRL 9 and 2028 is the year 311 expects wide use, so planners should assume less warning time.
Cheap and fast drones will coexist.
Militaries are shifting from a few costly weapons to millions of cheap, expendable drones. Arrow sits at the fast, long-range end of that mix. Interceptor drones are small, fast and find hostile drones on their own, and 311 also puts their wide use at 2028.
Control links become a point to protect.
Arrow can be directed by a piloted aircraft such as the F-35, or from ground stations. Autonomous aircraft are a longer-term trend, with wide use expected around 2045. Until then, people and data links stay central, so they need protecting.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- How much warning would we get of a drone flying at Mach 2.1?
- Do our defences cover both cheap swarms and fast long-range drones?
- Which control links and ground stations would an adversary target first?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Today's drones are slow and kind of dumb, tomorrow's are fast and smart, and they're going to get faster and smarter ...
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Kelley Aerospace kelleyaerospace.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 3 September 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Meet Arrow the world’s first and only supersonic drone. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/meet-arrow-the-worlds-first-and-only-supersonic-drone/
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