The order involved AIRO’s RQ-35 Heidrun, a fixed-wing UAS designed to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. The platform includes mission-focused onboard AI to support detection, recognition and identification, along with customer-specific edge applications.
AIRO said the delivery supports its strategy to expand proprietary technologies, increase the value delivered on each platform and respond quickly to large-volume customer demand. The company said the shipment drew on the supply chain, manufacturing capacity and operational execution of its SkyWatch brand.
“Getting proven systems into operators’ hands quickly is what matters most in today’s environment, and this delivery reflects our ability to do exactly that at scale,” said AIRO Executive Chairman Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. “As demand for unmanned ISR accelerates across allied forces, our focus is on being the partner that delivers reliable capability when and where it is needed.”
The RQ-35 Heidrun has been continuously refined through battlefield feedback and validated in Ukraine, according to AIRO. The aircraft offers up to three hours of endurance, a 50 km operational range, onboard AI processing, electronic warfare-resilient navigation support and a low visual and acoustic profile.
The platform is intended for time-sensitive ISTAR, target observation, route reconnaissance and terrain awareness missions. AIRO said the delivery demonstrates the growing role of its unmanned systems in allied defense and security operations.
“This delivery underscores AIRO’s strategy to build and scale advanced unmanned systems that meet the urgent needs of allied defense and security customers,” said Joe Burns, Chief Executive Officer of AIRO. “Because we build the sensor, the autonomy and the airframe in-house, we control quality, cost and delivery in a way competitors relying on outside suppliers cannot.”
“That vertical integration is what let us convert this order into a fielded capability on schedule, and it is how we intend to keep executing against our backlog,” Burns said. The company framed the delivery as evidence that its internal production model can support faster fielding of mission-critical unmanned systems.
AIRO said it remains focused on expanding production capacity and increasing the amount of proprietary technology across its platforms. The company also said it is working to support future growth opportunities across U.S., NATO and allied markets.
The delivery adds momentum to AIRO’s position in the unmanned ISR market at a time of rising demand for small, field-proven systems. For allied customers, the company said the priority is delivering reliable capability quickly and at scale.
