Skydio Wins $9 Million U.S. Air Force Contract to Deploy Autonomous Docked Drones in Middle East

New updates have been reported about Skydio.

Skydio has secured an order of more than $9 million from U.S. Air Forces Central to deploy its Dock and X10 autonomous drone systems for security at U.S. airbases across the Middle East, marking one of the Air Force’s largest dock-based drone infrastructure rollouts. The deployment will allow a single operator to control multiple docked X10 drones that can launch in under 20 seconds, conduct perimeter patrols, verify alerts, and stream high-definition and thermal video directly to Base Defense Operations Centers, reducing manpower needs while enhancing real-time situational awareness.

The U.S. Air Force already uses Skydio’s X10D as its most widely deployed Group 1 unmanned aircraft system for Security Forces, and the new USAFCENT order extends Skydio’s role from tactical use to persistent base infrastructure in its first overseas force protection mission. Skydio, which manufactures all drones and docking systems at its Hayward, California facility and is trusted by every U.S. military branch and 29 allied nations, positions this contract as a step toward broader adoption of remotely operated autonomous security solutions across defense and critical infrastructure customers.