Xtend to Develop AI-Enabled One-Way Attack Drone Swarm for the U.S. DoW

13 November, 2025

The Israeli drone maker will supply the U.S. military with AI-guided one-way attack drones capable of coordinated swarm missions, produced at its new Tampa, Florida manufacturing site

Israeli drone maker Xtend has secured a multi-million-dollar contract from the U.S. Department of War (DoW) to develop and supply One-Way Attack (OWA) drones — single-use loitering munitions designed to strike a target and detonate on impact. The new system will be the first operational solution of its kind globally that enables a single operator to command and deploy a coordinated swarm of disposable attack drones. Production will take place at Xtend’s Tampa, Florida facility, inaugurated only a few months ago and now serving as the company’s main U.S. manufacturing hub.

Under the contract, Xtend will deliver the drones as a complete combat kit, including a command-and-control station, interchangeable payload and sensor modules, onboard safety systems, batteries, and field-ready accessories. The system is built around dual-comms resilience — a fiber-optic tether combined with hardened RF — ensuring precise, zero-latency control even in heavy electronic-warfare conditions. This architecture is designed to preserve continuity of mission and maintain control despite jamming attempts or signal degradation.

Because the drones carry explosive payloads, Xtend places strong emphasis on safety mechanisms, particularly the Electronic Safe-and-Arm Device (ESAD). This unit ensures the warhead cannot arm or ignite until all authorized conditions are met — a certified firing command, sensor verification, and proper flight parameters. The U.S. configuration incorporates a High-Voltage ESAD, an electronic ignition system designed to prevent accidental detonation caused by low-voltage electrical noise, adding another layer of controlled, deliberate activation.

Despite being single-use munitions, the new platform will support coordinated swarm operation: multiple drones flown and managed simultaneously by one operator. This represents a major innovation in the OWA domain, enabling complex battle formations such as saturating enemy defenses, distributing tasks across multiple drones, and striking several targets at once. In this concept, the operational advantage comes not from any individual drone, but from the swarm acting as an integrated unit.

“This is the world’s first operational system that enables a single operator to remotely command and deploy swarms of AI-enabled tactical drones,” said Xtend Co-Founder and CEO Aviv Shapira. “After years of real-world combat deployments across five war zones, this is not a prototype or experiment — it’s a battle-proven system, built on lessons learned, that provides warfighters with reach and an unmatched tactical overmatch.”

The award comes as the U.S. military undertakes its most ambitious drone-procurement initiative to date. As recently reported by Reuters, the United States plans to acquire one million drones over the next two to three years, a dramatic increase from its current annual procurement rate of roughly 50,000. The shift reflects deep lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war and the central role drones now play in modern combat.

Within this broader transformation, the new program positions Xtend among a small group of companies worldwide developing AI-driven OWA systems with true operational swarm capability.

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Posted in: Aerospace & Defense , AI , News

Posted in tags: DoW , Xtend

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