XDOWN STUD drone: a throwable attack drone, eight per backpack
US startup XDOWN says its STUD attack drone is thrown by hand, needs no launcher and fits eight to a military backpack. It has passed a strike test.
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giftdetect· the right gift in minutesThrow it like a javelin, and it flies off to hit an armoured vehicle. That is the pitch for the XDOWN STUD, a small attack drone from the US defence startup XDOWN, which says it has just completed a successful strike test.
The numbers, as the company gives them: the STUD is about 44.5 cm long and weighs 2.36 kg. Top speed is 305 km/h, range is roughly 64 km, and it can stay in the air for up to 25 minutes. It needs no separate launch equipment. A soldier simply throws it.
How many STUD drones fit in a backpack?
Up to eight, according to XDOWN, in a single military backpack. That is the real selling point. Most attack drones need a launcher or a rail, and that gear has to be carried too. Here a single person could carry a small swarm's worth of ammunition on their back.
What is XDOWN's STUD drone for?
It is a one-way attack drone, designed to hit targets such as armoured vehicles. The strike test is the latest step after more than 500 hours of flight testing, the company says.
What comes next is further military evaluation and then mass production, which XDOWN says it intends to pursue. For now, that is a plan rather than a contract. The company has not said which forces, if any, will assess the drone, and the figures above are its own claims, not independently verified results.
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