X10

X10 is a folding, modular quadcopter developed by Skydio of the United States, announced at the company's Ascend conference in September 2023. It is Skydio's flagship aircraft for infrastructure inspection, public safety and defence, and the successor to the X2 series.

Overview

Skydio introduced the X10 in September 2023 as a single airframe meant to serve battlefield situational awareness, policing and industrial inspection. It builds on the autonomy software Skydio developed for its earlier aircraft, adding considerably more onboard computing (an NVIDIA Jetson Orin) and interchangeable sensor packages. Skydio states the aircraft is designed, assembled and supported in the United States, and lists it as NDAA-compliant.

A defence version, the X10D, followed. Skydio announced on 30 May 2024 that the US Department of Defense had added the X10D to its Blue UAS Cleared List, making it the second generation of Skydio aircraft on that list after the X2D. Skydio also entered the X10D in the US Army's Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Tranche 2 competition; that award went to another supplier in November 2024.

The X10 can be flown from a handheld controller, or based in the Skydio Dock for X10 and flown remotely for drone-as-first-responder and scheduled inspection work. Smaller and newer Skydio aircraft position themselves against it: the indoor R10 is described as its confined-space counterpart, and the fixed-wing F10 Lightrunner extends the same autonomy to longer-range missions.

Design and capabilities

The airframe is built from magnesium and carbon fibre with folding arms and three-blade folding propellers. Skydio gives its deployed length as 13.8 in (0.35 m) and its weight as under 4.7 lb (about 2.1 kg). It carries an IP55 rating against dust and water and is rated to operate from −20 °C to 45 °C. Skydio quotes a maximum flight time of 40 minutes, a top speed of 45 mph (72.4 km/h) in stable air, gust handling up to 43 km/h, a service ceiling of 15,000 ft (4,572 m), and launch from a folded state in under 40 seconds.

Six navigation cameras give 360° obstacle avoidance. Skydio's NightSense system uses visible or infrared illumination to keep that autonomy working in low or zero light. The gimbal takes swappable sensor packages: the VT300-Z combines a 64 MP narrow camera, a 48 MP telephoto camera (190 mm equivalent) and a 640 × 512 radiometric thermal camera based on the Teledyne FLIR Boson+; the VT300-L swaps the telephoto for a 1-inch, 50 MP wide camera and adds a flashlight; the V100-L drops the thermal sensor. Four attachment bays (top, bottom, left and right) take up to 385 g of accessories, including a parachute, payload dropper, spotlight, speaker and RTK/PPK positioning.

Datalinks include Skydio Connect SL, a direct radio link with a quoted range of up to 7.5 miles (about 12 km); Connect MH, a six-band radio with AES-256 encryption intended for contested environments; and Connect Fusion, which routes control over 5G/LTE cellular networks wherever coverage exists. The range figure in the specifications is the direct-link range.

Use cases

Skydio markets the X10 to utilities and industrial operators for substation, transmission-line, bridge and solar-farm inspection, using the thermal and zoom sensors to find faults from a distance. Police and fire agencies use it for drone-as-first-responder programmes, often from a dock, and for night searches with the thermal camera. The X10D serves military customers for reconnaissance and situational awareness; Skydio says it supplies every branch of the US military, and the X10D is available through GSA and DLA procurement schedules.

Variants

• X10 — enterprise and public-safety version, available with the VT300-Z, VT300-L or V100-L sensor package.
• X10D — defence version, on the US DoD Blue UAS Cleared List since May 2024, with features such as a Blackout Mode that turns off all aircraft lights.

Frequently asked questions

How long can the Skydio X10 fly?

Skydio quotes a maximum flight time of 40 minutes per battery.

What is the range of the Skydio X10?

Up to 7.5 miles (about 12 km) over the direct Skydio Connect SL link; over cellular (Connect Fusion) range is limited only by network coverage.

How fast is the Skydio X10?

Its top speed is 45 mph (72.4 km/h) in stable air.

What is the difference between the X10 and the X10D?

The X10D is the defence version. It was added to the US Department of Defense Blue UAS Cleared List in May 2024 and adds military features such as Blackout Mode.

Is the Skydio X10 made in the USA?

Skydio states the X10 is designed, assembled and supported in the United States, and lists it as NDAA-compliant.