Skydio Markets X2E Enterprise Drone to Governments

Flying high on news of an unprecedented $100 million investment, California-based drone startup Skydio this week released details about its latest offering, the Skydio X2E.

Designed for enterprises, first responders and civilian agencies, the X2E is being touted as an “ideal situation” for situational awareness and inspection of infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, power plants, power stations and railyards.

Skydio’s X2 drone product line also includes the X2D, a reconnaissance/search drone marketed for defense agencies. Both drones pack autonomy software with a ruggedized airframe for “pack and go” transportation, a thermal camera and up to 35 minutes of flight time. The X2 models are equipped with six 4K navigation cameras for 360-degree obstacle avoidance and a dual sensor payload that includes 12MP color and 320×256 LWIR sensors.

“Artificial intelligence takes care of the flying, so your teams can focus on the safety of the communities they serve,” a Skydio statement noted.

“From situational awareness and search and rescue, to evidence collection and collision reconstruction, X2E enables first responders to safely ramp their drone fleets with minimal training, removing all barriers to enter the drone revolution.”

Several American agencies have lauded the X2E after deploying it in the field. “We have been able to inspect bridges in completely new ways using the Skydio 2 and are excited to apply the Skydio X2E to our program needs,” Basil Yap, Director, UAS Program Manager, N.C. Department of Transportation said. He added the agency used the drone “to take advantage of the extended range, battery life and other advanced features that will help us achieve even higher levels of efficiency.”

Skydio X2E Features

• Enterprise-grade Security: AES-256 media encryption, burned-in keys at time of manufacture.
• Skydio Enterprise Controller: Built-in touchscreen, glove-compatible controls, and a new wireless system to extend range up to 6 km.
• Skydio Autonomy Core: 360° obstacle avoidance, real-time 3D mapping, object and scene recognition and motion planning.

Optional Add-Ons

• Skydio Autonomy Enterprise Foundation: 360 Superzoom, Precision Mode and 180 Vertical View.
• Skydio 3D Scan: “First-of-its-kind” digital scan software for inspections of complex structures, such as bridges, energy infrastructure or crash and crime scenes.