Skydio pushed beyond quadcopters at its Ascend 2026 conference in Summerlin, Nevada on September 24, 2026, unveiling the F10 Lightrunner — a 100 mph autonomous fixed-wing drone — alongside a robotic MegaDock that launches and recovers up to five of them without ground crews, plus new Asset Command and Security Command software platforms.
Meet the F10 Lightrunner
The F10 flies up to 100 mph, ranges out to 30 miles from its base and covers nearly 3,000 square miles from a single launch site. Cameras include a telephoto, a narrow and a thermal sensor, all mounted on a wingtip "SideEye" rolling gimbal that Skydio says eliminates blind spots by living outside the propeller arc. A Pathfinder engine plans routes around terrain, obstacles and airspace, while a Foresight engine adjusts them mid-flight against 360° onboard cameras and Skydio's Airspace Assurance System with ADS-B feeds.
MegaDock and Robotic Takeoff and Landing
MegaDock uses a robotic arm and a suction-based gripper to launch and land F10 aircraft, storing up to five drones with three airborne while two charge on standby. The Robotic Takeoff and Landing system means the F10 needs no runway or on-site personnel — a design point Skydio pitched squarely at public-safety agencies, utilities and infrastructure operators that already run its X10 quadcopter and X10D fleet.
Two new software platforms
Skydio also opened orders for Asset Command, which imports GIS and CMMS data and plans inspection routes automatically for AEP, Chevron, Dominion Energy and Southern Company, and Security Command, which turns a Skydio fleet into a continuous aerial security capability. Both platforms are on sale from Ascend with general availability targeted for early 2027, alongside a new Controller 2 with a 7-inch sunlight-readable display and camera updates including ThermalBoost and Low-Light Enhance.
Why it matters
"F10 Lightrunner is the most advanced fixed-wing drone that has ever existed," CEO Adam Bry said in a keynote. "It will bring the benefits of Drone as First Responder and fully automated drone inspection of critical infrastructure to a scale that's never been possible before." The launch pushes Skydio into a fixed-wing segment dominated by long-range ISR startups such as Tekever, and lands the same week as US and UK utility deployments including the Amazon Prime Air ramp in Connecticut and the Zipline Texas draft environmental assessment.
Reporting based on coverage from Skydio, PR Newswire, Commercial UAV News, DroneDJ and DroneXL.