AI-powered autonomy and tactical drone solutions XTEND has been awarded an US$8.8 million contract by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for a precision-strike small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS).
The contract was awarded under the DoD’s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) and is for Precision Strike Indoor & Outdoor (PSIO) sUAS.
The system being supplied is the Scorpio 500 which has a 4.8km range, top spend of 39kmh and carries a maximum payload of 500gm. It has a frame size of 42cm x 44cm x 13cm (16.5in x 17.3in x 5.1in) and an endurance of 15 minutes without payload or 8 minutes with payload.
PSIO sUAS is described by XTEND as representing “a leap forward in tactical drone technology, being the first US DoD-approved system in this category (Indoor/Outdoor) for a flying loitering munition platform”.
An XTEND spokesperson said: “It is the culmination of two years of collaborative development with IWTSD and has already proven its capabilities in recent global conflicts, being one of the most operational loitering munition solutions used by Israeli Defence Forces.”
The award follows the successful completion of live-fire testing and safety evaluations. The platform will be produced domestically in the US with deliveries slated to begin in Q1 2025.