Drone manufacturer Skydio on Wednesday detailed its new X10D small UAS the company is offering for the Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) tranche 2 program.
Small UAS offerings from Skydio and Teal Drones are participating in the competitive SRR tranche 2 effort, which is heading to an initial operational test and evaluation effort beginning next month to inform the Army’s downselect decision to one vendor.
“As the largest manufacturer of small drones in the United States, we are proud to further our work with the U.S. Army. Many U.S. government agencies and international allies have already ordered the X10D and we look forward to delivering the X10D to our service members,” Mark Valentine, Skydio’s president of global government, said in a statement. “Skydio is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what drone technology can do to protect soldiers, increase mission effectiveness, and ultimately aid in stronger security and greater prosperity around the world.”
Skydio in November 2021 previously won a potential $99.8 million Army contract to provide its X2D small drone for the SRR tranche 1 program, which the company said includes multiple tranches to “equip soldiers with a rapidly deployable small UAS solution to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance activities” (Defense Daily, Feb. 8 2022).
“With the Skydio X2D, U.S. soldiers today are equipped with a U.S.-manufactured, high performance sUAS to meet their mission needs, increasing situational awareness, safety, and security across multiple defense applications,” the company said on Wednesday.
Skydio noted it recently debuted the X10 and the X10D, designed for defense and government customers, which it added combines “new, cutting-edge data capture cameras, unparalleled autonomy and versatile hardware.”
“The Skydio X10D drone meets and exceeds SRR specifications for tactical performance and was specifically designed to create tactical advantages for soldiers at any time of day or night by combining maneuverability with best-in-class sensors,” the company said on Wednesday. “Skydio X10D is the first sUAS to enable worry-free 24/7 operations, with the revolutionary NightSense, which enables autonomous, obstacle-avoidance flight in zero-light environments.”
The company added that the X10D is the first small UAS to be integrated with FLIR’s [TDY] Boson+ sensor, which it said will offer the “highest thermal imaging quality and more accurate radiometric readings in any location to improve mission success at any time day or night.”