The Pentagon turns to AI-powered kamikaze drones

The Pentagon has announced a new $8.8 million contract with Israeli company XTEND that will see the department acquire Precision Strike Indoor & Outdoor (PSIO) drones for combat teams in the field.

The U.S. Министерство обороны‘s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) has turned to XTEND to deploy the first DoD-approved loitering munition drone.

“This contract underscores the precision, reliability, and battle-proven capabilities of our Scorpio PSIO sUAS, which has already demonstrated operational excellence in global conflicts,” shared XTEND CEO Aviv Shapira.

First units of the XTEND Scorpio 500 are expected to begin delivery in Q1 2025 with all units being made locally in the Соединенные Штаты.

XTEND Scorpio 500

The drone of choice is the Scorpio 500, which has already undergone strict testing, which includes live exercises and safety, ensuring it’s in line with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Scorpio 500 is an autonomous drone that can be flown in swarms of up to 3 units, creating a mesh network for communications. It can support up to a maximum payload of 1.1 pounds, with each drone in the swarm being able to carry a different one depending on the role its playing in the operation.

The drone is designed to withstand impacts and can bounce off walls and skid across the floor. It can operate in GPS denied environments, has a range of around 3 miles, and an FPV camera for a live view of the action as it happens.

To add to the capabilities of Scorpio, late last year XTEND shared a video of one of its drones undertaking an interior inspection of a building, where a spool of optic fiber cable was slowly unravelling as it flew, meaning it has “complete immunity to RF and GPS interference”.

Powering all of XTEND’s drone platform’s is its XOS, taglined, “Many Platforms, Single OS.” The XOS control suite provides operators with an immersive VR interface that requires zero learning and allows them to interact in any mission through the various drones in the air.

XOS can also work with 3rd party hardware and software, making it easily adapted to specific requirements using an API and SDK, providing customers with even more flexibility.

XTEND also has the Scorpio 1000, a larger version of the 500, the XTENDER, a surveillance and reconnaissance drone, and the Honey Badger, a much larger drone with a 6.6-pound payload capacity with 40x zoom and 4x IR zoom. It also moves its payload to beneath it, allowing it to be dropped without sacrificing the drone.

Image via XTEND