Institution news
Registration is now open the IMechE UAS Challenge 2027, and we warmly invite university students around the world to enter a team and enjoy another year of this exciting educational engineering competition.
The rules for this year's competition have also been made available, with the mission for 2027 focusing on teams developing a fire-fighting UAS that must deliver water on a single target at the Challenge's Fly-Off finals event next June/July.
More than just a contest, the UAS Challenge puts engineering theory from a university course into practice on a real-world project, providing an invaluable opportunity for young engineers to develop valuable technical skills and gain experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Teams are able to sign up to compete until 30 October 2026; visit the new UAS Challenge website for full details and registration.
About the UAS Challenge
Launched in 2014 with the key objectives of developing professional engineers and inspiring the next generation, the challenge tasks student teams to design, build and fly an unmanned aerial system (UAS). Each UAS must be capable of operating autonomously, including lift off, flight, and landing, while undertaking a specific mission objective.
Welcoming more than 50 teams and over 250 students from over 16 countries ins 2026, the year is looking to be the biggest yet. Participants will gain experience in aerospace engineering, avionics, flight operations, data analysis and systems integration, while developing the problem-solving and communication skills essential for a career in modern engineering.
For further information about the UAS Challenge, including rules and key deadlines, benefits and reasons to participate, registration, volunteering opportunities and much more, please visit the new UAS Challenge website.