Hero-120 Completes Initial Acceptance Tests for the US Army's LUS Programme
UVision Air and Rheinmetall's Italian subsidiary RWM Italia have cleared a key milestone on the US Army's Lethal Unmanned System programme: the Hero-120 loitering munition completed its initial Lot Acceptance Tests in August 2026. According to the companies, the system met every acceptance-test requirement and completed all mandated mission profiles during the tests, which were conducted under the Capability Portfolio Executive for Mission Autonomy and the Precision Strike Reconnaissance System.
The acceptance tests follow a $982m multi-year indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract awarded to UVision and Mistral in October 2025 for Hero-120 systems under the LUS programme. The programme is intended to give soldiers a precision-strike capability that they can train with and employ against time-sensitive or armoured targets. The Hero-120 is a 12kg electric loitering munition with a 4.5kg warhead, roughly 40km range and 60 minutes of endurance, designed for anti-armour and anti-personnel missions in dense environments.
This milestone is part of a wider product family push. The Hero line has been integrated into multiple US and European programmes, including a $73.5m US Special Operations Command order for Hero-120SF in June 2024, the US Marine Corps organic precision fires-mounted requirement, and a January 2026 decision by PEO Soldier to select the lighter Hero-90 for the Army's LASSO programme. The result is a portfolio that now spans man-portable, vehicle-mounted, helicopter-launched and long-range loitering munitions.
Why the Hero-120 Milestone Strengthens UVision, Rheinmetall and the Army's Drone-Strike Push
From a $982m IDIQ to execution: the acceptance-test milestone
The August 2026 test is significant because it moves the Hero-120 programme from a contractual framework to an execution phase. The October 2025 IDIQ gave the US Army a procurement vehicle, but acceptance testing is the point at which production quality, software, fuzing and mission performance are verified against Army standards. Passing all mandated mission profiles lowers near-term delivery risk for the LUS programme and strengthens the case for follow-on delivery orders under the IDIQ.
The UVision-Rheinmetall-Mistral transatlantic supply chain
The programme rests on a clear division of labour. UVision designs and produces the Hero munitions; Rheinmetall acts as the industrial, technological and commercial lead for European solutions and integrates the systems onto crewed and uncrewed vehicles, battle management systems and launchers; Mistral has steered the product into multiple US programmes, including USSOCOM and the Marine Corps. The arrangement gives UVision access to NATO demand while giving Rheinmetall a proven loitering munition to pair with its vehicle portfolio, including the Mission Master XT Fire Support module unveiled in June 2022.
LUS, LASSO and the Army's broader loitering munition build-up
The US Army is not betting on a single airframe. The Hero-120 addresses the LUS requirement, while the Hero-90's selection for LASSO in January 2026 targets a lighter man-portable need for dismounted troops. UVision is also adding mission-enabling technology: an AI-driven multi-launch system with automatic target recognition shown in October 2024, Omnisys BRO mission planning integrated from February 2025, and a modular aerial launch capability demonstrated from helicopters at the Paris Air Show in June 2025. These features aim to cut operator workload and integration cost, but they also make the system more relevant as armies seek to field loitering munitions across more platforms without extensive aircraft modifications.
What Comes Next for the US Army and the Hero Industrial Team
- For US Army programme managers, the completed LAT clears the way to exercise delivery orders under the $982m October 2025 IDIQ; the next practical test is whether production quality and unit costs hold as volumes ramp from the initial lot.
- For Rheinmetall and UVision, the acceptance evidence should be pressed in allied procurement conversations. The companies already hold reference orders from an undisclosed European NATO force, Hungary, the US Marine Corps and US Special Operations Command.
- For UVision's production planning, the Hero mix spans 3kg man-portable systems to 125kg long-range munitions. The $982m IDIQ and the $73.5m SOCOM order put a premium on reliable electric-motor, warhead and launcher supply chains.
- For competing loitering munition suppliers, the Army now has named incumbents on both LUS and LASSO. The next openings to watch are follow-on delivery order competitions under the LUS IDIQ and any expanded LASSO production decision after the Hero-90 selection in January 2026.
- For defence investors and analysts, Rheinmetall is not merely a marketing lead but the integration partner across crewed and uncrewed platforms. Delivery-order pacing, US Army fielding announcements and allied follow-on orders after the August 2026 LAT are the concrete signposts for revenue recognition.
Risk & Opportunity Assessment
| Commercial Risk | Medium | The principal execution risk is delivering at scale under the $982m LUS IDIQ. The August 2026 acceptance tests reduce technical acceptance risk, but the programme has not yet demonstrated sustained multi-year production volume. |
| Competitive Risk | Medium | The US Army is building a portfolio across LUS and LASSO rather than relying on a single supplier. The Hero-90's January 2026 LASSO selection gives UVision a second programme, but the loitering munition market remains contested. |
| Regulatory Risk | Low | The disclosed customers are US and allied government bodies, and the product has already moved through US DoD test pathways. Export approvals for future non-NATO sales remain a gate, but they are not an immediate constraint on the orders named in the source. |
| Reputation Risk | Medium | Loitering munitions and AI-assisted targeting attract public and policy scrutiny. The system's man-in-the-loop control and mid-air abort capability are designed as safeguards, but the October 2024 AI-driven target recognition capability may draw closer attention. |
| Technology Disruption | Medium | The technology cycle is rapid: the programme has added AI-driven target recognition, Omnisys mission planning and modular helicopter launch in successive years. That creates opportunity, but it also means current configurations could face evolving counter-UAS and autonomy challenges. |
| Commercial Opportunity | High | The combination of a $982m US Army IDIQ, a $73.5m SOCOM contract, USMC integration, NATO orders and the LASSO selection gives UVision and Rheinmetall one of the broadest Western loitering munition footprints. |
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