Skydio unveils F10 Lightrunner, its first fixed-wing drone

Skydio's F10 Lightrunner marks the company's move beyond quadcopters, the multi-rotor design it has built its lineup around until now. The company paired the aircraft with MegaDock, a robotic dock that houses up to five aircraft and supports concurrent missions from a single location, and with a Robotic Takeoff and Landing system built around a suction-based robotic gripper, so the aircraft launches and lands without a ground crew.

The two new software platforms extend a model Skydio already established with its DFR Command offering. Asset Command imports asset data directly from GIS and CMMS systems, and AEP, Chevron, Dominion Energy and Southern Company served as early development partners. Security Command dispatches aircraft with live video so security teams gain aerial awareness before personnel enter potentially dangerous situations. Both went on sale at Ascend, with general availability in early 2027.

What the outcome hinges on is whether the promised 2027 customer deployments happen, since a 100 mph aircraft with a 30-mile radius is a capability claim rather than a record at customer sites. The stakes are highest for energy and utility operators managing large portfolios of fixed infrastructure, and for public safety agencies whose current dock-based programs would need to absorb a fixed-wing aircraft into their operations.