Israeli military drone company XTEND has signed a multi-million-dollar deal with the US Department of Defense for attack drones tested in Gaza.
Reposted from The New Arab, November 14, 2025
Israeli military drone firm XTEND has signed a multi-million-dollar contract with the US Department of Defence for the development and production of artificial intelligence-based attack drones, Israeli media reported.
XTEND is the firm that produced the military drone that killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza in 2024, according to reports.
In winning the contract, the company cited its use in Ukraine and by the Israeli army in Gaza, where Israel is widely accused of committing genocide.
“We learned more in the first week following October 7th than we had in the previous four years,” XTEND CEO and co-founder Aviv Shapira told Forbes.
A Pentagon statement said the modular one-way attack systems will be used to help small tactical teams, including in complex urban environments.
The “multi-dimensional drone swarm” is controlled by a single operator using AI – another technology Israel has been accused of leveraging for committing war crimes in Gaza.
“This is the first time that different types of drones can operate as a single attack group,” Shapira told Israel’s Ynet news.
Israel has used drones extensively in Gaza, where the Israeli army has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
In October 2024, the Israeli army used an attack drone to kill Hamas leader Sinwar, who appeared to have been on the ground fighting in Gaza.
While Israeli officials and supporters jubilantly shared footage from the drone, the images appeared to have the opposite effect, with many highlighting the militant leader’s defiant last moments.
The New Arab is a leading English-language news website providing in-depth coverage from the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
RELATED:
