Royal Navy moves to buy U.S.-made Skydio X10D drones

Britain's Ministry of Defence has opened a tender valued at £120,000 excluding VAT for Skydio X10D reconnaissance quadcopters through the Royal Navy's Navy Commercial procurement office. The October 20 notice does not specify quantities or the operating unit. Bids are due November 19, and the contract is scheduled to end March 31, 2027. The rucksack-portable American drone carries daytime and thermal cameras, supports automated obstacle avoidance and target tracking, and is designed for navigation without GPS. Supplier selection is expected around November 26, with the competition open to qualifying vendors and evaluated on price.