The U.S. Army has awarded Skydio a contract worth over 52 million dollars for the supply of more than 2,500 X10D drones, in what is described as the largest acquisition of small UAS from a single manufacturer in the service's history. The order, managed through Atlantic Diving Supply, moved from the bidding phase to award in less than 72 hours, highlighting the growing urgency with which Washington is seeking to quickly deploy capabilities now considered essential in modern conflicts.
Autonomy, Resilience, and Tactical Reconnaissance
The X10D system was developed to provide intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance capabilities directly at the platoon level, offering small units an organic aerial resource to operate in complex and distributed environments. The drone is designed to fly even in scenarios where GPS is degraded or absent, thanks to onboard navigation cameras that map the terrain in real-time. This is complemented by a multiband radio system capable of maintaining connectivity in high-interference environments and high-resolution electro-optical and thermal sensors, usable both day and night. According to Skydio, these features reduce dependence on higher-level assets and improve response times on the ground.
Domestic Production and Strategic Shift
The order consolidates Skydio's role within the Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) program, in which the company was already selected in 2022 and 2025. The company also emphasizes that the X10D is produced at the Hayward, California facility, where each platform is assembled and tested before delivery. Strategically, the contract reflects the U.S. Army's desire to strengthen the national drone industrial chain and reduce dependence on Chinese-origin systems, following the ban imposed in 2017 on DJI drones for security reasons. More generally, the speed of the award confirms the American push towards accelerated acquisition procedures for technologies deemed decisive in the contemporary operational scenario.
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