XTEND’s X-Strike has been paired with the company’s unmanned platform for Gauntlet II, the second major competition under the Department of Defense (DoD) Drone Dominance Program, the company announced Thursday.
X-Strike combines a US-manufactured Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD) with a warhead in a modular, platform-agnostic package. According to XTEND, the system is designed to integrate with multiple Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) platforms rather than being tied to a single drone.
The system is progressing through Combat Evaluation and has received limited approval from the Army Fuze Safety Board. It has also undergone government evaluation and New Equipment Training, the company said.
“Drone Dominance is about getting effective, scalable capabilities into the hands of warfighters at speed,” said Roy Levy, executive vice president and general manager of XTEND US.
“X-Strike provides a US-made lethality solution designed for rapid integration across multiple platforms, complementing XTEND’s autonomous robotic systems and XOS operating system.”
XTEND’s second chance
The X-Strike announcement comes after XTEND successfully advanced to the second phase of the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance competition.
The company is one of 19 firms selected to participate in Gauntlet II at Fort Carson, Colorado, in August. The 19 companies were selected following a Phase II Qualifier at Camp Grayling, Michigan, where 49 companies tested approximately 79 drone systems across long-range strike and tactical assault in close-quarters missions.
XTEND initially did not emerge among the top performers in the program’s first Gauntlet. The Pentagon selected 11 companies for orders following Gauntlet I, based on performance and military operator evaluations. It nevertheless returned for the second round and qualified for Gauntlet II, where defense companies undergo further operational testing.
The company said its platform was evaluated during the Phase II qualification for tactical assault missions in confined environments. Its STRIKER autonomous platform uses XTEND’s XOS software and is designed for operations in complex and potentially GPS-denied environments.
XTEND is positioning X-Strike as part of a broader US offering combining autonomous robotics, mission software and domestically manufactured lethality.
The company’s advancement to Gauntlet II does not yet guarantee a procurement contract. The 19 participating companies must still perform in the next round of operational testing before the Pentagon moves toward additional production decisions.
Pentagon Drone Dominance Program to spend $1 billion on drones
Last year the DoD announced that the Drone Dominance Program would purchase $1 billion worth of small lethal drones over the next two years.
With hundreds of drone companies in the United States, the program is designed to test whether the ecosystem can manufacture low-cost systems at scale and quickly enough to meet the demand of the US military.
The program’s first Gauntlet resulted in an order for 30,000 drones, while Gauntlet II is now underway.
The Pentagon has said the program is part of a broader effort to rapidly expand the US drone industrial base. The Pentagon has also tightened requirements around domestic sourcing of drone components, increasing the importance of US-based manufacturing and supply chains.