An unnamed US government customer has ordered RQ-35 Heidrun and RQ-70 Dainn drones from AIRO Group Holdings, the company announced on 7 November 2026. The contract represents AIRO's first drone sale in the United States.
Both drone types were designed and manufactured in Denmark by Sky-Watch. AIRO did not disclose the identity of the government buyer, the number of aircraft ordered or the total financial value of the sale.
The Defense Contract Management Agency placed the hand-launched RQ-35 on its Blue UAS List in July 2026, approving the system for procurement across US government agencies. Sky-Watch says the aircraft can be prepared for launch in under five minutes and operate in environments with degraded satellite navigation. The maker says the larger RQ-70 offers an operational range of up to 100 kilometres and a flight endurance of up to eight hours.
AIRO chief executive Joe Burns said US government buyers enforce strict security and supply-chain requirements, stating that the RQ-35 met those standards. AIRO executive chairman Chirinjeev Kathuria noted that the drone had established an operational record with allied forces before being selected by a US customer.
