XTEND Human Guided Autonomous Drones Achieve Full NDAA Compliance

NDAA Compliance refers to a set of standards published to indicate that platforms are substantially manufactured in the US with parts sourced domestically or from countries not deemed of concern to the U.S. government.  The FY 20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and 2019 Executive Order 13981, Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials, outlined specific requirements in manufacturing process designed to ensure a strong domestic supply chain ands to strengthen cybersecurity.

XTEND Human-Guided Autonomous Drones Achieve Full NDAA Compliance

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) Expo today, human-guided autonomous operating system (XOS) developer XTEND announced that its XTENDER, Wolverine and Griffon drones have reached full NDAA compliance. Due to a growing demand from the US Department of Defense and other U.S. Government bodies, XTEND will be increasing US-based production.

As part of its US expansion, XTEND recently appointed Robert Peters as General Manager of XTEND Defense. Peters has more than 40 years of experience in the defense market, having held senior business executive positions with Textron Systems, General Dynamics, GE, and Lockheed Martin. “Our compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) further strengthens XTEND’s ongoing collaboration with the US Department of Defense and supercharges our US expansion,” said Peters. “In the last four years we have secured over 30 new contracts with the US Department of Defense, its allies and partners, which will see over 1000 of our revolutionary US-made drones produced over the next 24 months.”

XTEND’s drone systems are designed to be wearable, mobile, and lightweight, with a single, natural hand gesture-based controller. With these solutions, operators are able to carry out accurate maneuvers and actions in any environment with minimal training. XTEND’s drones are powered by the company’s XOS operating system, combining human intelligence and machine autonomy to improve an operator’s abilities, as well as lower the need for physical confrontation. Hundreds of XTEND’s drone systems are in operation around the world, with the company continuously developing its operating system and drones for applications in defense, homeland security, industrial inspection, and public safety.

“We cherish our partnership with the US Government and remain fully committed to aligning our operations with its well-justified standards for facing near-peer threats,” said Ido Bar-On, XTEND’s Vice President of Business Development and Sales. “We are growing our Florida facility threefold, and we will continue to support our defense partners and customers with our highly experienced, veteran team.”

Read more:

• XTEND Partners with SightX on XOS, the Human-Guided Autonomous Operating System
• XTEND Acquires Drone Inspection Specialist Performance Rotors
• Operating a Drone Fleet with a Wave of the Hand: XTEND Wins Israeli Defense Contract for Human-Guided Multi-Drone Operating System
• XTEND Funding: $20 Million Raise for Human-Guided, AI-Operated Drone System

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.