Skydio X10D Drones Stolen From Fort Campbell: Army CID Offers $5,000 Reward

Photo: U.S. Army Fort Campbell

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Four Skydio X10D drone systems were stolen from a U.S. Army engineer battalion building at Fort Campbell in November 2025. Army CID went public with the case on March 9-10, releasing surveillance images and a $5,000 reward offer — more than 16 weeks after the theft.

• The Theft: Four Skydio X10D systems were taken from Building 6955, 326th Division Engineer Battalion, Fort Campbell, between November 21 and 24, 2025.
• The Hardware: The X10D is a defense-grade drone priced at approximately $28,000 per unit, putting the total value of stolen hardware at over $110,000 — not counting payload configurations that can push the per-unit cost significantly higher.
• The Suspects: Surveillance video shows two individuals wearing dark sweatshirts, gloves, hats, and masks or balaclavas. Two vehicles are also pictured: a light-colored four-door sedan and a dark-colored four-door pickup truck.
• The Reward: Army CID is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction. Source: U.S. Army CID official reward notice.
• The Tip Line: Call Army CID Fort Campbell at (931) 801-0316 or submit an anonymous tip at www.p3tips.com/armycid.

What Was Stolen and Why It Matters

The Skydio X10D is not a consumer drone. It is a defense-specific platform on the DoD’s Blue sUAS Cleared List, built for military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Each unit carries a 48-megapixel telephoto camera capable of identifying a person from 2,400 feet and a vehicle from 6,500 feet. It integrates the Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal sensor, AI-driven obstacle avoidance, and a NightSense mode that allows fully autonomous flight in complete darkness. At approximately $28,000 per unit, four stolen systems represent more than $110,000 in military-grade hardware.

Army CID confirmed the serial numbers of all four stolen units in its official reward document. The drones were stored at Building 6955 on A Shau Valley Road when unknown individuals gained unauthorized access and removed them. Surveillance video captured two suspects and two vehicles. Army CID shared those images publicly on March 9-10, 2026 — more than 16 weeks after the theft.

Investigators shared photos of two individuals who may be involved in the theft of four Skydio X10D drones from Fort Campbell in November 2025. Photo: U.S. Army Fort Campbell

A 16-Week Gap Before Going Public

The theft window runs November 21-24, 2025. Army CID published its reward notice on March 10. That is 16 weeks between the theft and a public appeal for tips.

Military investigations involving stolen equipment often move through internal channels before going public, and there may be legitimate operational reasons for the delay. But when the stolen hardware can fly autonomously in the dark, identify a person from nearly half a mile away, and operate in GPS-denied environments, the clock matters. If any of these units crossed a border or changed hands through secondary markets in the weeks immediately after the theft, that window is gone.

There is no public indication the drones have been recovered.

DroneXL’s Take

This story carries a hard irony. Skydio has spent years positioning itself as the secure, domestic alternative to DJI — lobbying aggressively to remove Chinese drones from government contracts and state fleets. The pitch was always about security and supply chain integrity. The company’s lobbying history on this front is well documented. Now four of its flagship defense drones are unaccounted for after walking out of a U.S. Army storage building.

That is not Skydio’s fault. Physical security at an on-base storage building is an Army responsibility. But the theft exposes a gap that gets almost no policy attention: what happens to classified-capable hardware after it is delivered. Export controls and Blue sUAS vetting govern what goes into the drone and who can procure it. They do not govern what happens when two people in balaclavas walk into Building 6955 over a November weekend and leave with $110,000 in AI-powered surveillance hardware.

The $5,000 reward is modest relative to what these systems are worth — and what they can do. My expectation: either an arrest comes within the next 60 days as the suspect images circulate regionally, or this goes quiet and moves into a counterintelligence track that never surfaces publicly. There will not be much in between.

If you have information, call Army CID at (931) 801-0316.

Editorial Note: AI tools were used to assist with research and archive retrieval for this article. All reporting, analysis, and editorial perspectives are by Haye Kesteloo.