From overwatch to entry: How Skydio R10 extends DFR indoors

A familiar scene. A new response.

It’s just after midnight, and the call populates on your MDT. You hear your call sign from the dispatcher, notifying you of a burglary alarm at a local business. The person reporting is from the alarm company. As you are en route, you hear the DFR operator mention that X10 is launching from its rooftop Dock, arriving overhead long before the first officer. The OPERATOR searches the scene: no movement outside, but the front glass doors are shattered. X10 holds overhead, watching the perimeter.

That part of the story is familiar. Officers arrive and park out front. In the past, this is where they would start their approach, stepping into an unknown interior, unsure whether anyone was inside, whether the suspect had already fled, or whether danger awaited in the dark.

But what happens next changes everything.

Tonight, instead of stacking at the entrance, one officer removes the Skydio R10 from their patrol vehicle. Moments later, it’s in the air. The DFR OPERATOR, working remotely from the station, takes control. It crosses the threshold, past the rock that shattered the glass. It moves down narrow aisles, around corners, and past display racks. While clearing the business, the remote operator notes movement at the back of the building. A subject is exiting the rear door. Officers are updated on the radio, they shift their position, and the suspect is taken into custody.

The building was occupied. But officers didn’t have to enter blindly. No one had to clear it. No one had to guess what might be on the other side of a dark corner. And the responding officer never loses situational awareness. X10 leads the response from the sky. R10 leads response from the inside.

DFR isn’t just for overwatch anymore

These are not extraordinary circumstances. This wasn’t a barricade or a hostage situation. It didn’t require a specialized team or a complex callout. It was a routine patrol response to an alarm. The kind that happens every shift.

What’s new is the technology now sitting in the patrol vehicle.

For years, drones have been used for overwatch. Now, in cities across the country, drones are deployed from a pre-positioned Dock to get eyes on scene quickly, before ground units arrive. DFR programs have transformed how public safety agencies respond to outdoor calls. But threats aren’t limited to outside spaces. They happen inside, in unfamiliar floor plans where potential surprises lie around every corner.

Traditionally, building searches have fallen solely to patrol officers, who enter one by one and process the unknown in real time. Indoor-capable drones were reserved for tactical teams and high-risk calls. But risk isn’t just a SWAT problem. It’s a patrol reality.

So we built a new kind of drone - one that puts interior search in the hands of every officer, on every shift, for every call where the inside is unknown. At a time when agencies are being asked to do more with fewer resources, and response is under constant scrutiny, giving patrol officers more options and better intel has never been more important.

What makes R10 different

Designed specifically for patrol, R10 makes indoor flight simple, reliable, and fast–even for officers without prior drone experience. It’s compact, rugged, and ready to launch directly from the trunk of a patrol vehicle in less than 30 seconds. It supports both Patrol-led Deployment—flown on scene by the officer using a controller—and Patrol-led DFR, where control is handed off to a remote pilot. However it's deployed, it fits the way departments need to respond today. Every feature is built for everyday call for service response, including:

• Deploy in seconds from your patrol vehicle
• Operate confidently in tight spaces and complete darkness
• Navigate complex environments with Skydio autonomy
• Stream live video to officers, supervisors, or command staff

Together with X10, R10 creates a full-scene DFR solution. Just as X10 brought automated, Dock-based response to the sky, R10 brings that same capability inside, into places officers go every day: convenience stores, warehouses, offices, and homes. Until now, these spaces remained dangerous and unknown until someone walked in. Now, officers can clear those spaces first - without stepping inside. The drone takes the first risk, not them. That shift reduces the likelihood of unnecessary force and creates more opportunities to resolve situations safely. X10 secures the perimeter. R10 clears the interior.

While R10 is purpose-built for indoor use, its portability and ease of use make it a valuable option in short outdoor scenarios. It adds a layer of safety to the most common high-risk scenarios, such as vehicle stops. When a subject may be armed or uncooperative, officers can launch R10 to fly around the vehicle, look through windows, and confirm movement or the number of occupants before making an approach. Whether it’s a structure or a high-risk vehicle stop, it gives patrol officers visibility they’ve never had—until now.

This isn’t a tactical tool repurposed for patrol. It’s built for the realities of patrol—fast to launch, simple to fly, and rugged enough for whatever call comes next.

A new standard for indoor response

Every time an officer enters an unknown structure, there’s a calculation being made about risk, urgency, and what might be on the other side of the door. Traditionally, these decisions have been made with limited information, under pressure, and with officer safety on the line.

But that’s starting to change. R10 introduces a safer way to approach the unknown, removing guesswork, reducing unnecessary risk, and equipping patrol officers with better tools to improve outcomes. For years, only specialized tactical teams had access to this kind of intel. Now, it’s in the trunk of a patrol vehicle, ready to launch in seconds, not hours.

This is the evolution of DFR. Not just eyes in the sky, but eyes inside. Clearing. Searching. Informing. Before anyone ever crosses the threshold.

And critically, it’s no longer reserved for specialized teams. R10 is designed for the officer who takes the first call. The one who responds to the alarms at 3 AM. The one who has to decide whether it’s safe to enter. The one who’s expected to make the right call, every time.

With R10, that officer no longer enters the unknown. They enter informed. Or sometimes, they don’t need to enter at all.

As more agencies adopt this technology, tactics will evolve, expectations will shift, and the standard response to an indoor call will never be the same. R10 extends DFR beyond the door. With X10 and R10, Skydio delivers a DFR solution built for real-world patrol — from the air to the door and now inside.