Israeli company Xtend has won a tender worth millions of dollars to supply thousands of FPV (first-person view) drones equipped with advanced technology to IDF Ground Forces, the Defense Ministry’s Defense Procurement Directorate reported Tuesday.
This domestic “Blue and White” procurement is part of IMOD Director-General Amir Baram’s comprehensive strategy to strengthen Israel’s defense production capacity and local industries while maintaining full support for IDF operational needs now and in the intense decade ahead, the Defense Ministry said in a press release.
Xtend intends to supply 5,000 10-inch offensive FPV drones with a payload capacity of 2.5 kilograms, it said.
The drones are to be delivered to the IDF in the coming months together with comprehensive training and instruction programs provided by the company. They are expected to significantly enhance the operational capabilities of the IDF while delivering optimal solutions to modern warfare challenges.
The first delivery is expected to take place within two and a half months, Xtend COO Hen Haim told The Jerusalem Post.
“The timeline is short and along with the attractive price is one of the reasons we were chosen,” she said.
The drones are to be supplied to Ground Forces special units, Haim said.
“Our drones will go before the soldiers to reduce the risk to their lives,” she said. “This is a significant order and will make a major change for our soldiers.”
Key Benefits of XTEND’s FPV Drones for IDF Ground Forces
Xtend was founded in 2018 by Aviv Shapira, Rubi Liani, and Adir Tubi. The company specializes in human-guided autonomous machine systems for defense applications.
With its products, Xtend aims to enable pilots to control and interact with their drones and autonomous ground vehicles for various mission types using VR/AR interfaces and AI, including underground or other complex environments.
Xtend was originally founded as a gaming company that used drone-based, extended-reality technology along with virtual reality to simulate flight in video games. But after the October 7 massacre, Shapira said he realized how his technology could help soldiers and developed a new Concept of Operations (CONOPS) in which drones enter the battlefield before soldiers.
Xtend drones were instrumental in helping troops who arrived at devastated communities during the October 7 massacre.
About 80% of Xtend’s products are drones, and 20% are ground platforms, Shapira told the Post in a recent interview. All of its platforms are battle-proven, including mapping out tunnels in the Gaza Strip and intercepting Hezbollah drones in the North.
“Other companies are still testing their products, but we are proving ours during wartime,” Shapira said, adding that Xtend platforms have been used in Operation Swords of Iron in Gaza and Operation Rising Lion against Iran.