Modern Warfare Is Outpacing Traditional Defense Systems: AIRO Introduces RQ-70 Dainn, Shaped by Years of Battlefield Experience
MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
AIRO Group Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRO), a next-generation aerospace and defense company, today announced the introduction of the RQ-70 Dainn, a long-range unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and target acquisition missions.
The RQ-70 Dainn will be officially unveiled at Eurosatory in Paris, June 15–19, 2026, where AIRO will showcase how its integrated, AI-driven systems are addressing increasingly complex and evolving mission requirements on today’s battlefield.
Modern warfare is evolving faster than traditional defense systems can keep pace. Many legacy solutions were designed for slower operational environments—defined by long development cycles, heavy platforms, and requirements set far from the point of decision. Today’s battlefields demand systems that perform immediately, adapt continuously, and operate at the speed of the mission.
Built on years of real-world deployment of AIRO’s Sky-Watch RQ-35 platform, the RQ-70 is purpose-built to address more complex and expanded mission requirements emerging across today’s battlefield. As operational environments become increasingly contested, distributed, and data-driven, missions demand extended reach, longer persistence, and the ability to operate effectively across multiple layers of the battlespace.
The RQ-70 translates proven battlefield experience into a system designed for these higher-order requirements—delivering greater range, endurance, and mission flexibility while preserving the speed, simplicity, and reliability operators depend on in the field.
“RQ-70 is not built on assumptions. We are building it from key insights and direct feedback from what works in the field – it is shaped by continuous feedback loops from the RQ-35 platform,” said John Uczekaj, Chief Operating Officer of AIRO. “As we work to scale the system, production will be supported across our facilities in Denmark and the United States, with a parallel production approach that we anticipate will support our ability to deliver this capability with the speed, reliability, and resilience today’s operational environments demand.”
From Proven Systems to Higher-Complexity Missions
The RQ-70 design builds directly on more than four years of continuous operational refinement of the RQ-35 platform in Ukraine—extending those proven capabilities to support more complex mission profiles, including extended-range ISR, longer duration persistent surveillance, and targeting operations across larger and more dynamic areas of interest.
Key system capabilities include:
- 8 hours of flight time
- ISR operations beyond the front lines with an operational range of 62+ miles (100 km)
- Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
- Modular, multi-mission payload architecture
- Resilience in GPS/GNSS-denied environments
- Deployment by a single operator with fully autonomous mission operation and recovery
- Connectivity designed for digital battlefield integration
The intended result is persistent ISR capability in contested environments, delivered in a system operators can depend on when it matters most.
For AIRO, the aircraft itself is only part of the solution. The RQ-70 is designed as an integrated, AI-driven system in which aircraft, sensors, software, and user interfaces operate as a single connected architecture—designed to continuously improve through real-world use. System performance is impacted not just by what the system can see, but how quickly information moves, how effectively it is interpreted, and how decisively it acts.
This approach is designed to deliver clearer intelligence, faster decision-making, and greater operational confidence in high-stakes environments, where the ability to adapt in real time is as critical as the data itself.
“The RQ-70 represents a natural evolution of what we’ve learned operating in demanding and contested environments,” said Joe Burns, Chief Executive Officer of AIRO. “We anticipate that it will enable us to support more complex and distributed missions—extending the duration and reach of persistent surveillance, and providing warfighters with clearer, more actionable insights across the battlespace. This is central to our strategy of delivering integrated, AI-driven autonomy, where systems are built not just to collect data, but to accelerate decision-making and adapt in real time. These investments reflect our focus on building durable, long-term growth aligned with the evolving needs of modern defense.”
This development is intended to mirror the realities of modern conflict, where systems must be continuously tested, refined, and improved in dynamic operational environments. The RQ-70 is intended to build directly on the battlefield-proven RQ-35 platform and is designed to complement it—expanding warfighter capability while maintaining the reliability and usability operators depend on.
At its core, the system is shaped by a continuous feedback loop between frontline operators and ongoing development, enabling rapid iteration and ensuring that the platform remains aligned with evolving mission demands. This represents a broader shift across defense—from static systems designed for fixed requirements to adaptive capabilities built to meet increasingly complex and changing operational conditions.
Through these efforts, AIRO believes it is positioned at the forefront of this shift, focused on delivering capabilities that perform under pressure and evolve with the mission—where speed of insight, adaptability, and operational relevance define success.
Full-scale production is targeted for January 2027, with initial deliveries planned for later in 2027, subject to market demand and program execution.
About AIRO
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 a global reach with deep technical expertise.
Through a vertically integrated model, AIRO delivers mission-critical solutions centered on its drone platforms, leveraging advanced avionics, integrated training capabilities, and embedded autonomy across systems.
Forward Looking Statements
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. You can identify these statements by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “designed to,” “projects,” “anticipates,” or similar expressions, or the negative of such expressions.
These forward-looking statements may be included throughout this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the development, production, and anticipated performance of the RQ-70 Dainn; the expected timing of full-scale production and initial deliveries; the ability of the RQ-70 to address mission requirements; AIRO’s ability to execute its strategic initiatives; the demand for, market acceptance of and opportunity of AIRO’s products and services; 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 31, 2026 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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Investor Relations Contact
Jack Senft
AIRO Group Holdings, Inc.
[email protected]
Media Contact
Dan Johnson
AIRO Group Holdings, Inc.
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