XTEND, the defense technology company that opened its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing operation in Tampa last year, has begun delivering tactical drone systems under a defense contract valued at up to $25 million.
JFB said Monday that XTEND completed the first delivery under an initial $8 million contract with a government defense customer in the Middle East. The agreement covers 5,000 combat-proven systems and includes an option for up to 10,000 additional units, which could bring the total value to $25 million.
The company said the next shipment is already in production as XTEND scales manufacturing to meet what it described as urgent operational demand.
The development gives XTEND a production milestone less than a month after JFB said it would take the Tampa-based robotics company public in a $1.5 billion all-stock merger.
It also comes days after the company said it had mobilized its global XFAB operator network to support allied defense missions amid the widening conflict in the Middle East.
Monday’s disclosure confirms the first shipment under the defense contract.
Contract calls for up to 15,000 drone systems
The systems delivered under the agreement are tactical drones designed for rapid deployment in complex environments.
XTEND said the platforms are man-portable, can be operated by a single soldier and provide real-time situational awareness and precision operational capability with a limited logistical footprint.
The systems run on XTEND’s proprietary XTEND Operating System (XOS), which the company has positioned as the core of its robotics platform. XTEND has said XOS allows operators to control multiple robotic systems across air, ground and maritime missions.
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“Operational demand for robotic systems is expected to continue to grow rapidly across defense organizations worldwide,” said Aviv Shapira, XTEND’s CEO. “These deliveries demonstrate our ability to move quickly from development to scaled production and support urgent operational requirements.”
Shapira said the company’s focus remains on combining robotic hardware with autonomy software that can scale across different mission sets.
Tampa headquarters anchors U.S. expansion
For Tampa, the shipment marks another step in XTEND’s effort to turn its local facility into more than a symbolic U.S. address.
As TBBW previously reported, XTEND opened its Tampa headquarters and manufacturing operation on May 1, 2025 after leasing more than 5,700 square feet at Crossroads Industrial Center. The company said at the time it planned to create up to 100 jobs over three years and pointed to Tampa’s proximity to MacDill Air Force Base, home to U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, as a key reason for choosing the market.
When XTEND announced its merger with JFB in February, the company said the transaction would help expand NDAA-compliant domestic production at its Tampa facility and increase deliveries to customers in the United States, NATO allied countries and Asia.
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Monday’s announcement does not say whether the systems now being delivered were produced in Tampa.
XTEND said it has deployed more than 10,000 systems in more than 30 countries and that its technology has been used in five combat zones. The company operates a global manufacturing network with facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Israel and Latvia.
JFB and XTEND announced on Feb. 17 that they had signed a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction. After closing, the combined company is expected to be renamed XTEND AI Robotics and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker XTND.
The companies have said they expect the deal to close in mid-2026.
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