Skydio: prototype test to program of record

COMPANY

Skydio (U.S. drone maker)

DOOR

Army Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) competition, tested with DIU

CONTRACT TYPE

Firm-fixed-price, five-year production Other Transaction (OT) agreement

VALUE (TRANCHE 1)

$20.2M base year, up to $99.8M

BUYER

PEO Aviation, PM UAS

LANES

Army program competition with DIU testing (ch 05, ch 09), Blue List (ch 01)

Situation

The Army wanted a small drone soldiers could deploy fast for reconnaissance. More than 30 small-drone vendors submitted proposals. Five finalists were tested in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit.

Path taken

COMPETITION Proposal, then testing as one of five finalists with DIU.

FEB 8, 2022 Selected for the SRR program of record on a production OT (X2D).

MAY 2024 X10D added to the Blue UAS list.

APR 2025 Army begins X10D initial fielding under an urgent operational request.

DEC 15, 2025 Technical Directive under the SRR contract to buy X10D systems (Tranche 2).

What worked

The Army chose Skydio based on soldier feedback and design reviews of performance, quality and production readiness. Its drone complied with NDAA supply-chain requirements.

What this means for you

Soldiers used it before the big award, and the scoring included production readiness, not only performance. Getting Blue-listed kept the next model buyable.

Next step: Build your delivery evidence (lead times, monthly rate, spares) before your first test event, not after.

Sources: Skydio press release, Feb 8, 2022: skydio.com/blog/skydio-selected-sole-platform-for-us-army-srr · Army.mil, Dec 16, 2025: army.mil/article/289642 · DIU Blue UAS update (X10D): diu.mil/latest/updates-to-the-defense-innovation-blue-uas-list-framework...