Israeli start-up XTEND has announced that its range of XTENDER, Wolverine and Griffon drones have achieved full National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA compliance.

As a result, the company will be increasing US-based production in response to what it says is a growing demand for robust, affordable solutions from the US Department of Defense and the wider US Government technology community.

“Our compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) further strengthens XTEND’s ongoing collaboration with the US Department of Defense and supercharges our US expansion,” says Robert Peters, XTEND Defense’s general manager. “In the last four years we have secured over 30 new contracts with the US Department of Defense, its allies and partners, which will see more than 1,000 of our US-made drones produced over the next 24 months.” 

XTEND says its drone systems allow any operator to perform extremely accurate manoeuvres and actions in any environment with minimal training.

Powered by the company’s patented XOS operating system, XTEND’s drones fuse human intelligence and machine autonomy to enhance an operator’s abilities.

In January, it announced a $20mn contract to supply MAFAT and the Israeli Ministry of Directorate of Defense Research & Development, with its XOS operating system enabling the remote operation of dozens of human-guided semi-autonomous drones simultaneously. XTEND says the project will use the latest virtual reality, edge processing and AI technology.

As part of its continued expansion in the US market, XTEND recently appointed Robert Peters as general manager of XTEND Defense. He brings more than 40 years of experience in the defence market and has held senior business executive positions with Textron Systems, General Dynamics, GE, and Lockheed Martin.