Skydio X10: Earhart v47.70.15 - 12 November 2026 (FCA)
Published: Updated:
| Release date | November 12, 2026 (FCA) |
|---|---|
| Skydio X10 drone version | 47.70.15 |
| Skydio Controller firmware version | 47.70.18 |
| Skydio Controller 2 firmware version | 47.70.18 |
[warning]
Critical Security Update: Expedite Your Fleet Upgrade
A critical security vulnerability (CVE-2026-98432, CVSS 9.8) has been discovered in Linux, a widely used operating system that powers devices and infrastructure across many industries, including Skydio products. This is an industry-wide vulnerability, not an issue unique to Skydio.
Skydio has developed security fixes to address this vulnerability in the latest software release, Earhart. Given the severity of the issue and the potential for publicly available exploits, we strongly recommend updating your entire Skydio fleet immediately.
[/warning]
This release introduces Auto-NightSense, new controller map and AR overlays, and Operations on the controller, along with bug fixes and stability improvements.
Auto-NightSense
Platforms: Controllers/X10, Dock for X10
NightSense now has an Auto setting alongside On and Off. With NightSense set to Auto, the drone turns on its NightSense lights and night obstacle avoidance automatically when it gets dark, without prompting the Pilot, and turns them off again when they are no longer needed. Auto is the default.
- Low Light Mode is no longer a separate setting. Pilots manage NightSense modules from a single NightSense control, and the "Switch to Low Light Mode?" prompt no longer appears.
- Top speed with NightSense on — While NightSense is on, top speed is limited to 18 mph (8 m/s), including Fly Here Now and Shadow Follow.
- NightSense Off — If a Pilot sets NightSense to Off, it stays off for the rest of the flight.
Organization Admins can set NightSense defaults for the organization in Skydio Cloud:
- NightSense Default Mode — The NightSense mode at takeoff: Auto (default), On, or Off.
- Auto-Off When Using Pathfinder — Turns NightSense, and with it obstacle avoidance, off while the drone flies a Pathfinder route, for faster transits. On by default.
- Auto-Off When Using Boost — Turns NightSense off during Boost so the drone can reach top speed. Off by default.
- Auto-On When GPS Is Degraded — Turns NightSense on in low light when GPS is degraded or lost, so obstacle avoidance keeps working on the way back. On by default.
Get Started
- Controller — Open the NightSense quick action and select Auto, On, or Off.
- Remote Flight Deck — Select the NightSense button and choose Auto, On, or Off.
- Skydio Cloud — Go to Settings > Flight Settings to set the organization's NightSense defaults.
The NightSense control appears only when NightSense attachments are installed.
[note]Auto-NightSense applies to X10. R10 NightSense behavior is unchanged in this release, so Pilots flying both drones will see NightSense behave differently on each.[/note]
Obstacle Avoidance in Low Light Conditions
Platforms: Controllers/X10, Dock for X10
Obstacle avoidance now stays on in low light conditions when NightSense is off, or on a drone without NightSense attachments. Previously, flying in low light without NightSense meant switching to Low Light Mode, which turned obstacle avoidance off.
- In these conditions obstacle avoidance is degraded. An Obstacle Avoidance Degraded badge and border warn the Pilot.
- Shadow Follow is unavailable until obstacle avoidance recovers.
Faster Shadow Follow
Platforms: Controllers/X10, Dock for X10
Shadow Follow can now reach a top speed of 45 mph (20 m/s) when following a subject, so the drone can keep pace with faster-moving vehicles. With NightSense on, the drone's top speed is restricted to 18 mph (8 m/s).
Shadow Track from the Quick Action Bar
Platforms: Controllers/X10
Shadow Track has moved out of Flight Skills and into the quick action bar on the controller. Tracking now runs alongside the current Flight Skill, and the selected mode is remembered for later flights.
- Subject Track no longer appears in the Flight Skills menu.
- Choose whether tracking uses the color or thermal feed in Settings > Sensing > Shadow > Camera View (Auto, Color, or Thermal).
- Shadow Track is not available during 3D Scan.
Get Started
- Open the Shadow quick action.
- Turn on Subject Tracking and choose the Mode: Track or Follow.
- Select the detection icon over a person or vehicle in the video feed to lock on to the subject.
AR Street Overlays on the Controller
Platforms: Controllers/X10, R10
Pilots can now turn on AR Streets to overlay street outlines, street names, addresses, and points of interest on the controller's color video feed, matching the street overlay in Remote Flight Deck. The overlay is hidden while the drone is on the ground and fades out when its alignment with the video is no longer reliable.
AR Streets is not available on the thermal video feed.
AR Streets is a visual reference only. Do not use it to navigate or to judge distance to obstacles.
Get Started
Turn AR Streets on or off from the Augmented Reality quick action, or from Settings > Augmented Reality > AR Streets.
See Other Flying Drones on the Controller Map
Platforms: Controllers/X10, R10
The controller map now shows the other drones in your organization that are currently flying, with each drone's location and, when the altitude of both drones is available, its altitude relative to your drone. Other Pilots' drones are styled differently from your own, matching Remote Flight Deck, so Pilots can coordinate with the rest of the fleet without leaving the controller.
Zoom in on the map if relative altitude is not shown. When coordinates are turned on, each drone's position is shown in the selected coordinate system. Fleet Drones is for situational awareness only; do not rely on the map to keep separation from other drones.
Get Started
Open Map Settings > Layers and turn on Fleet Drones. The layer selection is remembered on the controller.
Operations on the Controller
Platforms: Controllers/X10, R10
Pilots can now work with Operations directly from the controller. Open the Operations panel from Dispatch to find an operation, see its incidents and drones, and add or remove a drone.
- Search Operations and sort them by Event Start, Last Update, or Closest to Drone.
- Browse My Operation, Active, Inactive, and Closed operations.
- When responding to an incident or Custom Marker, create a new operation for it or add it to an existing operation.
Additional Improvements
- Smoother SkydioLink video — Video bitrate now adapts more smoothly to link conditions, delivering higher quality at close range and a more gradual reduction as the connection weakens
- Controller app renamed Skydio Flight Deck — The controller app formerly named Skydio Enterprise is now Skydio Flight Deck. The new name appears on the controller home screen, in Android settings, and in notifications
- New Standoff Distance default and range — On the Skydio X10 Controller, Standoff Distance now defaults to 164 ft (50 m) on new controllers, so the drone stops short of an Incident instead of flying directly overhead. Controllers updated from an earlier release keep their saved Standoff Distance. The maximum is now 1,640 ft (500 m), up from 1,000 ft (304.8 m). Set 0 ft to turn it off under Global Settings → Flight Controls → Limits
Fixes
- Resolved an issue where a "Battery Unsupported" fault could appear in error and block takeoff
- Resolved an issue where Flight Envelope Protection could cause hard landings
- Resolved a rare issue where an invalid GPS time fix could set the wrong system time, so flight data showed an incorrect date or time
- Improved Pathfinder, autonomous flight, and return reliability, including more accurate return time estimates and steadier flight paths
Known Issues
The following known issues for Controllers/X10 exist in this release:
- Auto-Record changes the aspect ratio to 16:9 on Controller 2 — When Auto-Record is turned on for the organization, the camera view on Controller 2 changes to a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of the default 4:3, even though Camera Settings still shows 4:3. To keep 4:3, turn off Auto-Record in Skydio Cloud under Settings > Flight Settings > Capture Settings.
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