Palladyne AI Corp. partnered with Orkid Tech to integrate Palladyne Pilot and SwarmOS software with Orkid’s fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The collaboration targets the U.S. Department of Defense and commercial sectors, including oil and gas, wildfire management, and public safety.
The agreement represents Palladyne AI’s first venture into the fixed-wing UAV space. The partnership combines Orkid’s NDAA-compliant hardware with Palladyne’s AI-powered software. This integration enables a single pilot to manage a swarm of drones in real-time. The deal creates a new growth vector for Palladyne AI’s addressable market.