AIRO Completes Major Delivery of its RQ-35 ISTAR UAS, Highlighting Production Scale
AIRO Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AIRO), a next-generation aerospace and defense company, today announced the successful delivery of a major unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) order to a global defense customer. Completed during the second quarter of 2026, the delivery highlights the continued expansion of AIRO’s autonomous systems business.
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Soldier launching the RQ-35 ISTAR UAS
The delivery marks another milestone in AIRO’s strategy to expand its portfolio of proprietary technologies, increase the value delivered on each platform, and strengthen its ability to scale production for allied defense customers. Importantly, this significant delivery demonstrates AIRO’s ability to respond rapidly to large-volume customer demand, leveraging the strength of its SkyWatch brand’s supply chain, manufacturing capabilities, and operational execution.
The RQ-35 Heidrun is a battle-proven, fixed-wing UAS that gives soldiers and decision-makers real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Its onboard mission-centric AI supports detection, recognition and identification, along with customer-specific edge applications.
"Getting proven systems into operators’ hands quickly is what matters most in today’s environment, and this delivery reflects our ability to do exactly that at scale," said AIRO Executive Chairman Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. "As demand for unmanned ISR accelerates across allied forces, our focus is on being the partner that delivers reliable capability when and where it is needed."
Continuously refined through battlefield feedback and validated in Ukraine, the RQ-35 Heidrun offers up to three hours of endurance, a 50 km operational range, onboard AI processing, electronic warfare-resilient navigation support and a low visual and acoustic profile. The platform is designed for time-sensitive ISTAR, target observation, route reconnaissance and terrain awareness missions.
"This delivery underscores AIRO’s strategy to build and scale advanced unmanned systems that meet the urgent needs of allied defense and security customers," said Joe Burns, Chief Executive Officer of AIRO. "Because we build the sensor, the autonomy and the airframe in-house, we control quality, cost and delivery in a way competitors relying on outside suppliers cannot. That vertical integration is what let us convert this order into a fielded capability on schedule, and it is how we intend to keep executing against our backlog."
This major RQ-35 drone delivery demonstrates the continued scaling of AIRO’s unmanned systems production and the growing role of its platforms in allied defense and security operations. The Company remains focused on expanding production capacity, increasing the amount of proprietary technology across its platform, and delivering mission-critical systems that support future growth opportunities across U.S., NATO, and allied markets.
About AIRO Group Holdings, Inc.
AIRO Group Holdings is a next-generation aerospace and defense platform driving innovation across defense and commercial markets. Headquartered in McLean, Va., with operations in the U.S., Canada and Denmark, AIRO combines global reach with deep technical expertise. Through a vertically integrated model, AIRO delivers mission-critical solutions centered on drone platforms, advanced avionics, integrated training capabilities and embedded autonomy.
Forward looking statements
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "intends," "plans," "estimates," or "anticipates," or similar expressions which concern our strategy, plans, projections or intentions. These forward-looking statements may be included throughout this press release and include, but are not limited to, the expected timing of full-scale production of the RQ-35; AIRO's ability to leverage its existing manufacturing infrastructure and supply chain capabilities; the development, testing, scaling, production, deployment, performance and capabilities of the RQ-35; customer interest in, demand for, market acceptance of and deployment opportunities for the RQ-35 and AIRO's other drone platforms; AIRO’s ability to compete across a broader set of mission requirements and grow its global defense platform; AIRO’s ability to execute its strategic initiatives across U.S., NATO, and allied markets; and other statements that are not historical fact. By their nature, forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact or guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify, including those described in the section titled "Risk Factors" in AIRO’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), as well as other filings AIRO may make with the SEC in the future. Forward-looking statements represent AIRO’s management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made. AIRO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.
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AIRO Group Holdings, Inc.
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AIRO Group Holdings, Inc.
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