Institution news
Teams taking part in the 2026 UAS Challenge include previous winners over the past few years from University of Bath, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and University of Surrey, together with many competition regulars including teams from De Montfort University, University of Twente, Loughborough University, Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Valencia, and University of West England, among others.
While being the largest in terms of entries, the 2026 UAS Challenge is also the most diverse in the competition’s history, with teams entering from 16 different countries including China, Sweden, Turkey, The Netherlands, Greece, France, Estonia, Thailand, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia.
Teams competing for the first time include students from the University of Thessaly, Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy, ESTACA, and Sapienza University of Rome, while others such as Chalmers University of Technology and Brunel University are set to make a return after notable absences in recent years, reflecting the growing appeal and continued relevance of the competition.
“The UAS Challenge has been growing from strength to strength since its inception. We are delighted to see a record number of entrants this year, and we hope they will be working hard in the coming months to build their aircrafts,” remarked Joyce Achampong, Associate Director of Impact at the IMechE.
“It is an amazing acknowledgement by universities of the importance of skills based learning and hands on teamworking experience. We are very excited to see this year's competition welcome many returning teams fighting for glory alongside some new team looking to carve out their place. Watch this space!”
The full list of universities taking part is available on the UAS Challenge website.
UAS Challenge overview
Now in its 12th year, the UAS Challenge tasks teams of undergraduate degree students and apprentices to design and build an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with a maximum take off mass of 10kg that will carry out specific mission objectives. Each UAS must operate autonomously, with a live Fly-Off event at the BMFA Buckminster site in July providing an opportunity for teams to demonstrate the capabilities of their aircraft and to elaborate and justify their engineering decision making in formal presentations.
The Challenge is a key contributor to the Institution's strategy to both develop the pipeline of talent for the future of the engineering profession and provide opportunities for the engineering community to further develop their skills. Participants complete the academic year equipped with extensive new knowledge and enhanced problem-solving abilities, emerging as well-rounded, capable graduates prepared to take on the engineering challenges they will encounter in industry.
What’s next for teams?
All teams will take part in the Welcome Webinar this week and will continue with the design optimisation phase of their UAS projects.
Updates on the competition are available on the UAS Challenge website and social media channels.
On behalf of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, we wish all teams the best of luck and hope they enjoy the opportunity to develop their skills.