U.S. Army buys Ukrainian Raybird unmanned aircraft

The U.S. Army awarded Skyeton's American subsidiary a $10.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for Raybird unmanned-aircraft hardware and services. Only one bid was received, and the Army expects work to be completed by December 15, 2026, with locations and funding assigned through individual orders. Raybird is a Ukrainian-designed long-endurance reconnaissance aircraft advertised with approximately 28 hours of endurance, a range above 2,500 kilometers, and payload capacity of 5 to 10 kilograms. The contract notice did not disclose how many systems are being purchased or which Army units will operate them.