In information that broke on Sunday, the U.S. Military has positioned an order exceeding $52 million for greater than 2,500 Skydio X10D drones. Based on Skydio, that’s the biggest small unmanned plane system procurement from a single producer within the Military’s historical past. And the federal government moved quick on this one, too. Based on Skydio, the Skydio X10D Military order moved from bid to award in lower than 72 hours.
This Skydio X10D Military order locations Skydio as the one producer to span each Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 of the Military’s SRR program.
The announcement lands on March 22, 2026 — three and a half weeks into an energetic U.S. navy battle with Iran wherein drones have performed a central function on each side.
In regards to the Skydio X10D drone
The Skydio X10D is the navy variant of the corporate’s X10 drone. However whereas that one is utilized in different enterprise conditions, the model with the “D” added is constructed for platoon-level intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). It’s designed to be rucksack-portable and deployable inside minutes — the type of small, quick eyes-in-the-sky functionality that has grow to be important in fashionable floor operations. I’ve coated the X10D extensively since Skydio first unveiled it, and the primary deliveries below the Military’s Brief Vary Reconnaissance Tranche 2 program earlier this yr.
Key capabilities of the Skydio X10D embody:
- A 48-megapixel telephoto digital camera
- Thermal imaging by way of a Teledyne FLIR Boson+ sensor
- Onboard AI that may preserve navigation with out GPS — a vital function in contested, electronically jammed environments.
- American made: Each unit is manufactured at Skydio’s facility in Hayward, California.
In regards to the quick-turn order
Since February 28, U.S. and Israeli forces have been engaged in energetic navy operations towards Iran, and each side have been utilizing small drones.
On the offensive aspect, the U.S. debuted its LUCAS drone — a low-cost one-way assault system made by Phoenix-based SpektreWorks — in its opening strikes on Iran as a part of Operation Epic Fury. The LUCAS, quick for Low-cost Uncrewed (Unmanned) Fight Assault System, is a one-way kamikaze drone modeled carefully on Iran’s personal Shahed-136.
The Shahed-136 is a foam-and-plywood munition that has been extensively deployed by Russia (as Geran-2) and in Center East conflicts. Iran has launched effectively over a thousand drone assaults throughout the area within the weeks for the reason that battle started, and U.S. and allied defenses — regardless of intercepting the overwhelming majority — haven’t been in a position to cease all of them. Each $30,000 Shahed that forces the U.S. or a associate to fireplace a $4 million PAC-3 missile is a large win for Iran, as a result of Iran has much more low cost drones than the U.S. and its companions have costly interceptors.
The Skydio order is a unique class of drone than the LUCAS. Most notably, the X10D is an ISR platform, not a strike weapon. However nonetheless, it’s a significant piece of kit, because the Military wants succesful, deployable, American-made small drones at scale, and it wants them quicker than conventional procurement timelines enable. The 72-hour turnaround from bid to award is a direct sign that the DoD is attempting to maneuver at a unique pace than it traditionally has.
The American-made angle
Skydio has spent years positioning itself because the American different to DJI — and the nationwide safety argument for American-made drones has solely gotten sharper because the geopolitical setting has deteriorated. Each X10D comes out of Hayward, California, which is a part of the broader San Francisco Bay Space.
Skydio is already on the Blue UAS Cleared Checklist, which is the DoD’s vetted registry of NDAA-compliant drones. The truth is, Skydio holds extra entries on the Choose Checklist than every other producer.
The $52 million determine sounds massive, however bear in mind, that’s roughly $20,800 per unit for two,500 drones. However it does present how less expensive drones are than different, bigger plane. For context, a single F-35 prices north of $80 million.
I’ve been writing about drone warfare for the reason that early days of Ukraine, and I’ve been masking Skydio’s evolution from client drone maker to protection contractor all through. It’s clear that small drones have completely modified how wars are fought, and the international locations that determine how you can produce them at scale and pace — not simply construct essentially the most subtle particular person unit — are those with the benefit.
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