- The new joint project with the Israel Ministry of Defense DDR&D will see XTEND’s
XOS human-guided autonomous operating system enable operators to control
dozens of human-guided semi-autonomous drones simultaneously - Future applications of scalable, affordable, and infinitely flexible XOS planned in public safety, inspection, and homeland security
18 January 2022, Tel Aviv, and Washington. XTEND – the developer of XOS, a human-
guided autonomous operating system that is revolutionizing ‘human to machine’ interaction, has
been awarded a $20M contract by Israel Ministry of Defense, for the development and supply of
a first-of-its-kind multi-drone operating system.
The new joint project with MAFAT and the Israeli Ministry of Directorate of Defense Research &
Development, will see XOS enable the remote, safe, and intuitive operation of dozens of
human-guided semi-autonomous drones simultaneously, utilizing the latest virtual reality, edge
processing and AI technology. XOS will allow XTEND’s drones to be deployed remotely by
military units in various scenarios precisely, intuitively, and immersively. The unique and
groundbreaking joint initiative, which embodies the IDF and XTEND’s shared vision of enabling
drones to become more than just another “eye in the sky”, enable operators to control, interact,
and run 3 rd party applications on the drones remotely, keeping forces out of danger, while fusing
an operator’s expertise with machine autonomy, VR and AI. The deal is based on performance
and deliverable milestones.
“We’re witnessing a revolution on the modern battlefield,” says official source, at the IDF.
“Working with XTEND over the last three years, we have already been able to field systems that
are now in daily use, and we are confident that this new program will provide a tremendous leap
in our operational capabilities. Putting the best of civilian technology into the hands of our
soldiers. One of the greatest challenges for a program office working with cutting-edge
technologies is to find the right industry partners. Along with very few other vendors, we see
XTEND as such partner.”
“We are very honored and excited to have been chosen once again by MAFAT, and to
collaborate with them on this game-changing project,” says Ido Bar-On, VP BD & Sales,
XTEND. “Our continued partnership reflects the trust of the Israeli Ministry of Defense has in our
company’s team and technology. XTEND’s deep collaboration with MAFAT in recent years has
already been operationally proven time and again, reducing the risk to operators and providing
them with best of breed technology to give them an operational edge. XTEND and the Ministry
of Defense are working to secure the cooperation of other ally countries in this development
program.”
XTEND’s new contract with Israel’s Ministry of Defense is the latest in over 20 major contracts
secured by the company in the last three years, including a multi-million-dollar contract with the
U.S. Department of Defense, which will see XTEND’s technology enabling US military drone
operators to interactively operate multiple smart machines from a remote, safe distance, with
minimal training.
XOS is easily programmable and configurable to suit different needs outside defense, as Aviv
Shapira, co-founder, and CEO at XTEND, explains: “Scalable, affordable, and infinitely flexible,
XOS’s unique operating system allows humans to connect and interact with drones, robots,
vehicles, smart devices, and smart machines remotely, safely, and intuitively. Letting almost
anyone to control multiple remote machines simultaneously – using advanced VR technology,
on top of an AI layer. Alongside defense, XOS is providing a new way for public safety,
inspection and homeland security professionals to interact with machines virtually in various
civilian scenarios.”
