U.S. War Dept Orders FPV Drone Kits from XTEND

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of War (OASW) for Special Operations / Low-Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) Capability Development & Innovation (CD&I) Directorate has awarded XTEND Reality Inc. a contract to deliver Affordable Close Quarter Modular Effects FPV Drone Kits (ACQME-DK).

The next-generation ACQME-DK kits, including training, are designed for small tactical team operators of the Department of War. The systems will support precision strike lethality and operator survivability in complex urban terrain and confined rural environments during irregular warfare missions.

XTEND will carry out training, spares, maintenance, and production from its Tampa, Florida headquarters, ensuring a domestic supply chain for the program.

Swarm-based autonomy is increasingly shaping modern military operations, moving from single-platform control to distributed, collaborative robotic systems. Such drone swarms provide precision and survivability while operating deep in contested areas without endangering personnel or depending on fragile beyond-line-of-sight communications.

XTEND’s approach aligns with Secretary of War Hegseth’s directives, focusing on one-way attack loitering munitions that deliver lethality at a low cost per kill.

Key innovations of the ACQME-DK system include a mission-focused one-way attack capability, XTEND’s high-voltage Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD) safety fuse board, dual communications resilience through fiber optic cable and hardened RF, modular VTOL and munitions kits for rapid field reconfiguration, and battle-proven performance based on lessons from multiple combat theaters.

“This is the first operational system in the world that allows one operator to command and deploy swarms of AI-enabled tactical drones remotely, with resilient Fiber Optic-plus-RF dual-comms precision and zero-latency control,” said Aviv Shapira, Co-Founder and CEO of XTEND. “After years of real combat deployments across five war zones, this is not a concept—it is a battle-proven system that gives warfighters reach and tactical overmatch.”

“Our XOS unifies sensors, radars, payloads, and third-party features and apps into a single AI-driven mission backbone,” said Rubi Liani, Co-Founder and CTO. “This program extends that advantage deeper into complex terrain, scaling both precision and survivability through coordinated swarm behavior.”