Skyborne Technologies has achieved a U.S. Department of War Limited Safety Release for its Controller Operated Direct Action Quadruped armed unmanned ground system, authorizing the system to proceed into Operational Test & Evaluation and Combat Evaluations.

The release, granted as part of a competitively awarded government RDT&E Contract effort, funded and led by OASW(SO/LIC) SSO CD&I, marks CODiAQ's formal transition from development into evaluation IAW established DoW combat evaluation frameworks. Independent Government safety testing was conducted by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Center (ATEC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, validating key system safety requirements against established Department standards.

The milestone reflects Skyborne's deliberate engineering approach and close collaboration with U.S. Government stakeholders advancing Department priorities to accelerate responsible evaluation of autonomous and AI enabled war fighting capabilities and streamline the fielding of operationally relevant systems.

“We are working closely with Skyborne to deliver CODiAQs and new equipment live fire training to our Tactical Operators in October 2026. CODiAQ represents a deliberate and important step in armed robotic ground systems. This milestone allows the Department of War to rapidly assess operational utility with rigorous emphasis on system safety, operator control, and risk management during OT&E and combat evaluations,” said Michael J. Trexler, Government Program Manager.

This awarded is a US$6.5 million firm fixed price RDT&E contract for the delivery of CODiAQ systems, consisting of 14 quadruped robotic systems and 28 modular weapon payloads. The award includes total system sustainment for a 24-month period, covering hardware support, maintenance, and sustainment services to maintain a high operational readiness rate throughout evaluation activities.

The contract also includes operator and maintainer training, supporting safe system employment, sustainment, and informed evaluation by U.S. and allied personnel.

Delivery will occur in a total package fielding event this year, supporting coordinated evaluations requested by multiple Tactical Units of Action within U.S. Special Operations Command and a partnered foreign ally.

CODiAQ’s progression into safety-approved combat evaluation reflects the Department’s stated priority to accelerate AI-enabled lethality, increase soldier survivability and reduce bureaucratic barriers to fielding.