Skydio X2 (drone)

2021: Start of sales at a price of $11,000

In early May 2021, Skydio began supplying X2 unmanned aerial vehicles with autopilot for $11 thousand for the public and corporate sectors. The new model is stronger and can fly further than a conventional Skydio 2 drone and can be used in the search and rescue of people in emergency situations, to assess safety and inspect buildings. Skydio says it has already sold nearly 1,000 drones to defense, law enforcement and fire services, as well as construction, engineering and transportation companies.

Unlike the Skydio 2, the X2 drone is equipped with a special airframe that can fold to facilitate transportation. In the expanded state, the glider increases the flight time, and the charge of one battery lasts for 35 minutes. In addition, the X2 drone can be used for night operation. Skydio intends to release two versions of the drone: X2D is intended for defense and federal departments, and X2E for first responders and civilian companies.

Skydio X2 drone

Both versions will come with different camera systems to the buyer's choice. The first option combines a 4K60 HDR color camera with 16x digital zoom and a narrow-angle lens with an FLIR Boson 320 × 256 LWIR thermal imager with 8x digital zoom. Later, a version will be released with a single-color 4K60 HDR camera with 16x digital zoom, but a wide-angle horizontal field of view. This drone can be used for detailed inspection of structures and in combination with Skydio 3D Scan to create three-dimensional models of buildings.

All versions will work with the new Skydio Enterprise Controller, a dedicated universal drone controller that comes with a 6.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen and large joysticks. The controller is also equipped with a USB-C 3.1 connector with HDMI support for outputting drone data to a large display.^[1]

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