ISR Manager

Skydio ISR Manager, formerly Fleet Manager for offline drones, is designed for enterprise and defense organizations. It helps teams manage terrain data and software updates across their drone fleets while maintaining their preferred data-sharing controls.

• Replaces Fleet Manager for Offline Drones
• Adds Download Terrain Data feature
• Streamlines access to updates

Download Terrain Data from ISR Manager

Terrain data regions are now available in the Skydio ISR Manager for download and loading onto the drone media SD card. The X10D will automatically ingest the terrain data it needs from the continent-scale DTED dataset stored on the media SD card. As it plans and executes missions, the aircraft checks its current position and route, loads the relevant DTED tiles, and maintains a rolling cache of nearby terrain.

X10D automatically imports DTED data within a 10 km radius of the launch site. This provides sufficient terrain coverage for flights up to 10 km without requiring operators to manually manage terrain files. It also helps prevent storage limitations or DTED coverage gaps during a mission.

Download regional terrain data sets from the ISR Manager. Download the ZIP file for each required terrain data region. Expand the downloaded ZIP file, then copy the folder it creates into the DTED folder on the vehicle SD card. You can keep multiple region folders inside the DTED folder to organize your terrain data.

[info]Visit How to download terrain data from ISR Manager for detailed instructions.[/info]

ATAK Integration on Skydio Flight Deck

Skydio Flight Deck now supports native TAK workflows for X10D ISR operations. Operators can send and receive CoT messages, display standard TAK symbology, share drone, controller, and crosshair positions, and work with TAK markers directly from the flight interface. This turns TAK markers into actionable ISR points that operators can view, create, edit, share, watch, or fly to with standoff without leaving the Skydio flight experience.

For teams with established ATAK / UAS Tool workflows, unkiosked X10D controllers also include supported ATAK and UAS Tool components pre-installed. This provides a separate ATAK-based flight path when the mission requires it, while preserving the native Skydio Flight Deck workflow.

TAK Markers and Shared Situational Awareness

[info]Visit How to use TAK Markers on Skydio X10D for detailed instructions.[/info]

Share Drone and Controller Markers

Operators can now share drone and controller markers to TAK from the TAK/CoT menu. Supported shared markers include:

• Vehicle position
• Controller position
• Crosshair position

Operators can customize drone and controller callsigns before sharing.

Operators can create TAK markers in several ways:

Add TAK Marker at Crosshair: Operators can create a TAK marker at the current crosshair ground location using either a controller button mapping or the Add TAK Marker quick action.

Add TAK Marker at Coordinate: Operators can add TAK markers using Lat/Long, MGRS, or UTM coordinates. The marker type must be selected before choosing Add at Coordinate. Adding a TAK marker does not automatically move the map. Operators can use the Center on coordinate button to verify the coordinate location before adding the marker. This workflow is available before launch when a vehicle is connected. If on-screen controls are obscured by the keyboard, operators can press the Enter key to proceed.

Add TAK Marker at Map Point: Operators can long-press on a map point, select the Add TAK Marker submenu, and choose a marker type. This workflow requires terrain data for AR overlays.

Subject Tracking TAK Markers: Subject tracking can now publish TAK markers for tracked subjects. Operators can configure whether tracked subjects are shared as all, selected, or none. Subject tracking auto-markers start as Unknown.

Move and Edit TAK Markers: Operators can edit TAK markers created locally or received from the network. This includes changing the marker callsign, type, and details. Operators can also move a TAK marker by long-pressing the marker and dragging it to a new location.

TAK Marker Behavior

Any TAK marker created in the Enterprise App / ISR Command is immediately shared on the network. This provides no-friction sharing and differs from ATAK’s implementation. Operators always select the marker type before creating a TAK marker, consistent with ATAK conventions. Any TAK marker, whether created or received, can be edited.

The system supports markers: 

• Friendly
• Hostile
• Neutral
• Unknown ground markers
• Any MIL-STD-2525C marker received from a third-party device.

ATAK and UAS Tool Support on Unkiosked Controllers

The X10D controller comes ready to support your preferred mission workflow, with both the Skydio Enterprise App and the ATAK UAS Tool available directly from the home screen.

Skydio validates supported ATAK/UAS Tool versions against our aircraft compatibility matrix to help ensure reliable video, aircraft control, and mission data performance. Allowing operators the flexibility to fly using the Skydio Flight Deck or ATAK/UAS Tool on the same hardware, without switching controllers or compromising mission readiness.

Watch and Standoff Autonomy

Watch

This release introduces new Watch capabilities for ISR workflows, enabling operators to keep the camera focused on mission-relevant markers or locations while continuing to fly the aircraft.

Together, these capabilities improve ISR workflows by separating camera-pointing intent from aircraft navigation. Operators can keep sensors trained on important markers or locations while continuing autonomous flight, flying to standoff positions, or managing mission context from the map. Watch controls camera pointing, not flight path

• Watch TAK markers or locations
• Watch Location replaces Look Here
• Fly with Standoff flies to a configured standoff distance
• Standoff means the aircraft may move closer or farther to respect the setting
• Watch from Standoff combines both and keeps watching after arrival

[info]Visit How to use Watch from Standoff on Skydio X10D for detailed instructions.[/info]

Watch TAK Markers

Operators can now select a TAK marker and command the aircraft to watch it. Watch supports both static and dynamic TAK markers, allowing the gimbal to remain focused on the selected marker as the mission evolves. Key capabilities include:

• Watch a selected TAK marker directly from the marker details panel.
• Maintain camera focus on static or moving TAK markers.
• Disable Watch quickly using the quick action button.
• Continue flight autonomy while Watch is active; Watch controls gimbal pointing and does not affect flight autonomy.

Watch Location

Operators can now use Watch Location to lock the gimbal onto a ground location selected from the crosshair or map. Key capabilities include:

• Map a controller button to Watch Location.
• Use the quick action toggle to watch the current crosshair ground location.
• Select a map point and choose Watch Location from the contextual action menu.
• Allow autonomy to control gimbal pointing while the aircraft continues its flight path.

Fly with Standoff

Fly with Standoff enables operators to fly toward a selected marker while maintaining a configurable standoff distance from the final destination. Key capabilities include:

• Select Fly with Standoff from the TAK marker details panel.
• Configure Fly To Point Speed.
• Configure Standoff Distance.
• Maintain the specified distance from the destination when responding to a marker.

Watch From Standoff

Watch From Standoff combines standoff positioning with persistent camera focus on the selected marker or location. Key capabilities include:

• Select Watch From Standoff from the TAK marker details panel
• Fly to a standoff position while keeping the camera focused on the target area
• Maintain situational awareness from a safer offset distance during ISR operations
• Crosshair Lock will display as a quick action button
• Map the C1, C2, L2, or R2 buttons to lock/unlock the Crosshairs
• Enable crosshair coordinates when Crosshair Lock starts so the held point is always visible.
• Maneuver around a locked crosshair point using simple stick motions, including orbiting, adjusting altitude, and changing distance without manually re-aiming the camera
  • Locks the sensor pitch and aircraft orientation to the subject
  • Roll, Pitch, and Throttle control remain accessible
  • Yaw control is locked to the subject

Enhancements 

Clearer Altitude Awareness with altitude above MSL and AGL

This update adds new altitude telemetry options for Altitude MSL. MSL provides a standard altitude reference above Mean Sea Level for aircraft deconfliction and coordination. MSL is always displayed in feet and cannot be changed to another unit. AGL provides altitude above the ground below the aircraft when supported terrain data is loaded, and is displayed using the units selected on the controller.

MSL is calculated onboard using GPS altitude and a built-in geoid model, so it is available without network access or local pressure input. AGL uses loaded DTED terrain data to estimate height above ground.

• Altitude HAL - Height Above Launch
• Altitude MSL - Altitude Above Mean Sea Level
• Altitude AGL - Above Ground Level (with DTED maps loaded)

Controller Video Transcoding (Bandwidth Optimization)

The X10D controller will transcode incoming video from the vehicle into selectable imagery sizes and bitrates suitable for diverse tactical and commercial networks. Operators can define the output stream independently of the vehicle-to-controller link, ensuring compatibility with attached radios, Wi-Fi, or Nett Warrior ITN networks. This allows consistent, optimized video sharing without being constrained by the original vehicle-side encoding.

• Push RTSP - Host a customizable RTSP server on the Skydio controller and push video directly to external RTSP servers.
• Advanced RTSP - Configure quality, resolution, bitrate, and compression method to improve compatibility across different networks and solutions.

Quality Presets:

Keep vehicle MH channel and DCS on pair

Use X10D’s existing operating frequency and DCS list (if configured) whenever pairing occurs, so users do not need to reconfigure away from the 2.4 GHz band or reinitialize DCS in the field.

Custom Drone Battery Alerts

Enable a custom battery-level alert based on operational needs.

• Based on Flight Battery State of Charge (SoC)
• Custom Range of 1% to 50% SoC
• Audible (unless muted) and Visual textual alert
• Contingency Behavior is not activated by alert

Flight Battery Light Discipline Mode - Special Access

Battery Light Discipline Mode is available via special access for organizations with operational light-discipline requirements. When enabled, X10D flight batteries suppress battery LEDs unless the operator presses the battery button to check status. Battery status lights are shown at reduced brightness to limit visual signature while remaining visible in daylight. If Battery Light Discipline Mode is enabled for your organization, the battery will NOT emit light at any time unless the button is pressed.

Improvements 

• Microhard FW boot time fix
• Blackout mode fix, allow in-flight again
• Crosshair range increased to 5 km for crosshair coordinates

Explore More

Explore related articles for additional information

Skydio X10D Manuals, Guides, and Resources

How to update your Skydio X10D

Getting Started with Parachute for Skydio X10 

[note]If you need assistance, please reach out to: FedSupport@skydio.us[/note]

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