Israeli drone firm Xtend has gained a young for drones issued by the IDF Floor Forces and Logistics Division, a supply near the matter has instructed “Globes.” The corporate will provide 5,000 first-person-view (FPV) assault drones at an estimated price of NIS 3,500 per unit, making the estimated price of the tender profitable bid a comparatively most NIS 20 million, together with working stations and the digital actuality glasses worn by the operators.
Xtend will provide 10-inch drones, with a payload capability of two.5 kilograms, which is normally sufficient for a small explosive cost. It’s believed that these are single-use suicide assault drones meant for fight battalions, in all probability on the firm stage.
Xtend beat rivals resembling Robotican, Tehiru, CopterPix, Elbit Programs and others, regardless that the drone it’ll produce will not be at the moment in its arsenal. It is a low cost assault drone (FPV), typical of the primary drones that flew about 5 years in the past, which took down the explosive balloons launched by Hamas. The assault drones that will probably be equipped to the military is in contrast by drone trade specialists to the assault drone produced by Petah Tikva-based Dronix Industries, which finally didn’t win the tender.
As beforehand revealed by “Globes”, the tender was criticized by drone firms due to the low value per unit, which dictates the best and least expensive drone mannequin and made it economically unviable for some, in addition to as a consequence of the truth that its specification accommodates a Chinese language element, a video transmitter manufactured by a Hong Kong-based firm. Initially, the Ministry of Protection Directorate of Protection R&D (DDR&D) opposed this demand, particularly because it encourages the event of digital communication infrastructures for drones.
The request for Chinese language tools is seemingly pushed by price concerns, regardless that Israeli firms know methods to provide another communication answer, with a better value of tens of {dollars} per unit. Whereas the US is obstructing the import of Chinese language tools for nationwide infrastructure and navy tools, the IDF has already positioned an order for Chinese language drones made by DJI and Autel, as Globes has beforehand reported.
Those that supported the phrases of the tender declare that it’s a one-way video element, which solely transmits to the drone’s working helmet, and that in any case it’s anticipated to endure a “sterilization” course of by the bottom forces, to dam as a lot as potential the programming of hacking and surveillance mechanisms.
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“Too little, too late”
The tender, though it specifies a provide of 5,000 items, accommodates an possibility for supplying 5,000 further items. That is transfer by the military will permit extra troopers to take part on this type of warfare, attacking the enemy utilizing assault drones. However specialists consider that it is a “too little, too late” assumption. In Ukraine, assault drones are remodeling fight and serving to to destroy armored and infantry forces on either side. Ukraine has pledged to supply about 4.5 million drones by the tip of the yr, whereas Russia is anticipated to supply between 3 and 4 million drones.
Xtend is already well-known by the Ministry of protection. It has outfitted each the IDF and the Pentagon with Scorpio assault drones and was the primary firm within the US to obtain approval to function an armed suicide drone. In July, the corporate gained a young value $10 million to provide drone swarms to the US Division of Protection, which is anticipated to incorporate the manufacturing of 1,000 Scorpio methods.
For this order, Xtend has arrange a manufacturing line for these drones in Tampa, Florida. Estimates are that Xtend has outperformed firms resembling Anduril, Bering and PDW within the US, amongst different issues, as a result of it’s the just one that enables the deployment of an armed drone swarm with confirmed fight expertise, which permits distant operation.
No response has been forthcoming to this report by Xtend and the IDF spokesperson.
Printed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on August 19, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
