Skydio X2 (drone)

2021: Start sales at $11K

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

Unlike the Skydio 2, the X2 drone is equipped with a special glider that can be folded to facilitate transportation. In the expanded state, the glider increases the flight time, and the charge of one battery is enough for 35 minutes. In addition, the X2 drone can be used for night work. Skydio intends to release two versions of the drone: X2D is intended for defense and federal departments, and X2E - for rapid response services and civilian companies.

Drone Skydio X2

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

All versions will work with the new Skydio Enterprise Controller, a specialized universal controller for the drone, which is equipped 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 displaying drone data on a large display^[1]

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