While security used to involve fences, surveillance and armed responses, the reality of the situation changes dramatically when one considers the threat that can come from the skies with very little warning. Such reality becomes apparent in a new US Air Force Central $9 million contract expanding dock based autonomous drones in all American airbases of the region. Instead of using small unmanned aircraft for occasional surveillance, the plan now involves establishing a layer of automated overwatch capable of launching in seconds, providing live video feed and maintaining surveillance without sending personnel to scout the area first.
The key element in such a move is the Skydio’s Dock, a platform allowing for easy takeoff, landing, automatic charging, and storage of company’s X10 series drones. From the contract description, one may see that the drones may be launched within 20 seconds, while only one operator is required for supervision a detail that is important due to the large size of American bases. While it was previously enough for drones to provide additional capabilities as needed, now they may serve almost like a piece of infrastructure.
X10 series serves as the foundation behind this idea since the aircraft was designed not only for flight itself but with more functionality in mind. According to the company, the drone uses 360 degrees navigation using a set of six camera lenses and has the onboard computer that makes real time decisions. The point of its employment for security reasons is, however, resilience. Using X10D variation that allows for operating in contested environments (including in the absence of GPS), the drone maps its terrain, calculates its location based on the environment’s appearance and operates entirely independently of signals and other forms of communications. With regard to jamming, spoofing, and disruption, this means that, unlike a GPS dependent drone, it continues working precisely when needed. Apart from that, according to the company, the drone uses multiband radio to select optimal frequency in case of interference while thermal and optical sensors allow for detecting personnel, vehicles, and objects both during daytime and nighttime.
The key point about drones, however, lies not in the technology itself, but in the organization. An autonomous drone represents a force multiplier since it helps expand surveillance capabilities without replacing human intelligence and decision making process. As opposed to sending security officers unprepared for action to the far corners of an installation, a commander can observe a situation first from above before taking any measures, deciding whether the problem should be addressed or simply monitored. The same approach was used in civilian critical infrastructure protection where the drone was regarded as a tool for proactive verification rather than reactive patrol of the area.
In accordance with Pentagon’s policy of relying only on domestically produced drones, Skydio emphasizes that every single X10D used in the project is made in California and goes through 550 separate checks prior to its launch. The US Army recently placed the largest single vendor tactical small UAS order by spending $52+ million in the acquisition of Skydio X10D platforms. For purposes of airbase defense, the message is quite clear: autonomy is not an add on anymore. It becomes an integral part of the perimeter’s security.