The Defense Contract Management Agency added the RQ-35 to its Blue UAS List in July 2026, clearing that model for purchase by U.S. government agencies. AIRO said the order meets a specific mission requirement and gives the company a chance to build a record of work with the U.S. government that could count in future contract decisions.
“U.S. government buyers hold drone suppliers to some of the most rigorous security and supply chain standards anywhere,” said Joe Burns, AIRO’s chief executive. “The RQ-35 cleared that bar, and this first order is the proof.”
The hand-launched RQ-35 can be ready for use by a single operator in less than five minutes and is designed to operate under electronic warfare pressure and when satellite navigation is degraded. Sky-Watch says some individual Heidrun systems have flown more than 500 missions and that lessons from frontline use inform its designs.
The RQ-70 is built for longer surveillance and reconnaissance missions, with an operational range of up to 100 kilometers and an endurance of up to eight hours, according to Sky-Watch. It comes in standard and long-range configurations and can be fitted in the field for vertical takeoff and landing.
Both models process mission data on the sensor and aboard the aircraft. Sky-Watch says that reduces the RQ-70’s reliance on transmitting raw data, while the RQ-35 can send processed intelligence to existing command-and-control systems.
“The RQ-35 earned its reputation with allied forces in real operations before it reached a U.S. customer,” said Chirinjeev Kathuria, AIRO’s executive chairman. “That gives AIRO a position across U.S., NATO and allied markets that we intend to build on.”
