Israeli MoD Awards $20 Million Multi-Year Contract
Israel’s MoD has awarded XTEND a multi-year contract, with an estimated value of $20 million, to develop and supply multi-drone operating system, which the company claims will be “a first-of-its-kind.”
In conjunction with Maf’at (the MOD’s Directorate of Defence Research & Development), XTEND will adapt its XOS human-guided operating system to enable the remote, safe and intuitive operation of “dozens of human-guided semi-autonomous drones simultaneously,” using the latest virtual reality, edge processing and AI technologies. XOS will allow XTEND’s drones to be deployed remotely by military units in various scenarios precisely, intuitively, and immersively, embodying the shared IDF/XTEND vision of allowing drones to become more than simply another ‘eye in the sky’. It will enable operators to control, interact, and run third-party applications on the drones remotely, keeping forces out of danger, while fusing an operator’s expertise with machine autonomy, VR and AI.
“We’re witnessing a revolution on the modern battlefield,” an IDF source indicated. “Working with XTEND over the last three years, we have already been able to field systems that are now in daily use, and we are confident that this new programme will provide a tremendous leap in our operational capabilities, putting the best of civilian technology into the hands of our soldiers. One of the greatest challenges for a programme office working with cutting-edge technologies is to find the right industry partners. Along with very few other vendors, we see XTEND as such [a] partner.”
“Our continued partnership reflects the trust of the Israeli Ministry of Defence has in our company’s team and technology. XTEND’s deep collaboration with Maf’at in recent years has already been operationally proven time and again, reducing the risk to operators and providing them with best of breed technology to give them an operational edge. XTEND and the Ministry of Defence are working to secure the cooperation of other ally countries in this development programme,” added Ido Bar-On, XTEND’s VP Business Development & Sales.
Elsewhere, XTEND’s recent successes include a multi-million-dollar contract with the US DoD to enable military drone operators to interactively operate multiple smart machines from a remote, safe distance, with minimal training.
XOS is easily programmable and configurable to suit various needs outside defence, too. “Scalable, affordable, and infinitely flexible, XOS’s unique operating system allows humans to connect and interact with drones, robots, vehicles, smart devices, and smart machines remotely, safely, and intuitively. [This allows] almost anyone to control multiple remote machines simultaneously – using advanced VR technology, on top of an AI layer. Alongside defence, XOS is providing a new way for public safety, inspection and homeland security professionals to interact with machines virtually in various civilian scenarios,” explained Aviv Shapira, CEO at XTEND.
