Forbes Feature: Xtend

David Hambling: Forbes

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Some commentators see Ukraine as the laboratory of future drone warfare, but for the last year another drone war has been unfolding in Gaza. The IDF has made extensive use of sophisticated uncrewed systems in tactical operations. While Ukraine’s drone industry started from scratch on a shoestring budget, Israel has long been a world leader in the field and their technology reflects this.

XTEND, one of Israel’s most advanced drone makers, talked to me about how teams of their co-operative drones are performing in combat operations and what they have learned from a year of intense drone warfare.

Military Grade Hardware

Aviv Shapira, XTEND co-founder and CEO, says that their hardware is a few steps up from what is seen in Ukraine.

“In Ukraine, hobby-grade equipment is commonly used, often with analog video and peer-to-peer radio communications,” says Shapira. “Modern warfare demands more sophisticated mesh radio networks, where each drone serves as a node in the system. With mesh radio, we can achieve enhanced collaboration between drones, with multiple drones assisting one another."

Mesh radio allows the drones to maintain communications when there is interference of radio waves may be blocked by terrain or buildings. As in Ukraine, jamming has been a notable feature of the conflict, and communication is not guaranteed. But while in Ukraine developers are starting to experiment with drones with AI, XTEND have already implemented drones with robust autonomy using their XOS operating system.

“Even if communication is lost, XOS enables the drone to continue its mission,” says Shapira “This could involve returning to base, searching for a target, or tracking a vehicle. The possibilities are endless; our SDK allows you to develop custom applications per the needs of the user.”

This Software Development Kit can customize drones for specific requirements. Shapira mentions that the IDF have used it to create a drone able to make 3D models of tunnel networks with a laser scanner.

Radio interference also affects satellite navigation, with GPS being rendered almost useless in Gaza due to a combination of jamming and spoofing which gives false positions. Optical navigation, matching the surroundings with a map, is an obvious alternative. While Ukraine has reportedly introduced an optical navigation system called Eagle Eyes on its long range strike drones, XTEND has brought the capability down to quadcopters.

“We adapted our existing indoor localization technology, and developed new algorithms to enable our drones to navigate effectively in outdoor environments," says Shapira.

But perhaps the biggest difference with Ukraine is that how a single operator can carry out complex missions with multiple drones.

Drones Working In Teams

In Ukraine, drone operations require a lot of personnel. A mission typically involves a reconnaissance drone pilot, assisted by a technician to launch and recover the drone, plus one or more specialist FPV attack pilots, each with their own technician. This takes a significant number of soldiers out of the frontline. In Gaza, a single operator does everything.

Rather than 'swarms', a term used for large groups of co-operating drones, XTEND talk about smaller 'teams'.

“Each team consists of three to five drones or robots, managed by a human operator, with each unit serving as a specialized tool in the operator's toolbox,” says Shapira. “A typical team might include an outdoor drone, several indoor drones, and loitering munitions, offering versatility and adaptability for various mission needs.”

The team may also include robotic dogs also using XTEND’s operating system.

At any given time in a combat mission most of the drones are set to hover in place in front of a door or window. They act as static cameras, and will automatically alert the operator when they detect a potential threat. This allows the operator to focus on flying one drone at a time. The operator might fly an XTEND Wolverine drone around the outside of a building and identify an entrance, then go inside with an Xtender to explore the interior room by room.

A simple point-and-click interface means that no piloting skill is needed, even flying through narrow openings and corridors, as the drone automatically plots its route and avoids obstacles. The video feed is shared with the mission commander, who can, for example, highlight objects for the drone operator to explore.

Additional drones may have other sensors, for example electronic warfare devices able to detect, identify and pinpoint radio emissions for the scout drones or loitering munitions.

"Collaboration or what we call ‘teaming’ is essential for success in many scenarios,“ says Rubi Liani, co-founder and CTO of XTEND. “While many companies are trying to crack the challenges involved in drone teaming, there is a significant lack of experience in real-world battlefield conditions."

Kamikaze drones, aka loitering munitions, hovering nearby can engage targets located in the building at once. The so-called sensor-to-shooter chain between detecting a possible target, making a decision and carrying out an attack, which typically took 20 minutes in Afghanistan, has been radically shortened.

"Our goal is to empower ground forces to achieve all these objectives with a single operator, enabling them to acquire and engage targets independently, without the need for external airstrike support," says Shapira.

Drone Versus Drone

In Ukraine, drone-on-drone warfare has recently become a factor and interceptor FPVs are bringing down increasing numbers of Russian winged reconnaissance drones.

XTEND have already mastered this type of warfare. One of their first products was a drone to tackle incendiary balloons and kites launched by Hamas. The group also use basic drones, and XTEND’s Griffon is an 80-mph interceptor which can interface with air defence radar to find and bring down incoming drones. While Ukrainian interceptors require skilled piloting, Griffon has an onboard computer vision system to home in on the target.

Shapira says their track record includes over 5,000 successful interceptions of various targets in Gaza border protection.

XTEND are now working on a fixed-wing interceptor powered by a jet engine with longer range. This will likely be used to counter larger Shahed-type drones made by Iran, which threaten Israel just as they threaten Ukraine. Low-cost attack drones threaten to overwhelm missile defenses by sheer numbers, as Israel can only afford so many Tamir interceptor missiles for its Iron Dome at an estimated $50,000 a shot.

"We are conducting live tests of our latest counter-drone technology this month and anticipate operational deployment early next year,” says Shapira. “Our goal is to achieve a price point of $10-15,000 per interceptor, making it an affordable solution."

A Changing War

A major lesson is how rapidly the war throws up new demands. Fortunately the open architecture has allows XTEND to react quickly.

“We have been able to add applications and make critical changes within days,” says Shapira. He notes that they can easily build interfaces with third-party products when required.

The enemy are likely to develop new drones of their own, and new counter-drone tactics, and the evolution process is very much a continuous one.

The main aim is still the same though: to put greater numbers of capable robots into the front line and reduce the need for humans to be exposed to risk. Advances in AI and drones have reached a stage where a drone can always go in first. The technology is moving forwards and Shapira sounds enthusiastic about its future.

"We are pushing the boundaries of robotics and taking them to the edge," says Shapira. "It's a privilege to be here, saving lives and kicking ass.”

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