Skydio and L3Harris have combined their technologies to improve the communications resilience of the X10D military drone in electronically contested environments. The integration introduces L3Harris Falcon IV embeddable radios and Wraith waveform technology to Skydio’s autonomous aircraft, helping maintain communications links and facilitate the exchange of mission and location information. L3Harris says the arrangement provides several layers of protection against jamming, addressing a major challenge for unmanned aircraft operating where electronic warfare can disrupt control signals. The system uses an open architecture to connect the drone with compatible communications equipment. More than 150,000 tactical radios deployed with US and allied forces already support the Wraith waveform, creating opportunities to integrate the aircraft into established military networks. The X10D itself is a small drone designed to carry interchangeable electro-optical and thermal imaging equipment. It can reportedly reach speeds of 45 miles per hour and be deployed within 40 seconds. Its navigation technology uses visual information and motion sensors to estimate its position when GPS signals are unavailable. Visual reference points can also help the aircraft navigate autonomously and return without satellite navigation. Sensor options include a 64-megapixel camera, a 640 × 512-pixel Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal sensor and, in another configuration, a 48-megapixel telephoto camera. A separate payload option combines a wide-angle camera with an illumination light for close-range inspection tasks.
