US Air Forces Central (USAFCENT) has awarded Skydio a $9 million contract to supply dock-based drone systems aimed at enhancing security across US airbases in the Middle East. The agreement includes an undisclosed number of Skydio Dock units and X10 drones, representing one of the US Air Force’s largest deployments of autonomous drone infrastructure for overseas base protection.
As the air component of US Central Command, USAFCENT operates across a wide region covering the Middle East, Egypt, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia.
The Skydio Dock functions as a fully autonomous “drone-in-a-box” system capable of launching, landing, charging, and storing drones. Strategically deployed across airbases, it enables drone operations within 20 seconds and can be managed by a single operator, enhancing situational awareness while reducing manpower requirements. These drones can rapidly respond to alerts, transmitting real-time high-definition and thermal imagery to base defense centers and maintaining surveillance until threats are resolved.
The X10 drone, a Group 1 unmanned system widely used by US Air Force Security Forces, is designed for resilient performance in contested environments, including conditions involving GPS and communication jamming. It features a multiband radio that dynamically shifts frequencies and uses visual-inertial odometry to navigate in GPS-denied or spoofed environments. Equipped with advanced high-resolution visual and thermal imaging systems, the X10 enables effective detection of personnel, vehicles, and objects in real time.
