C100

Source-backed capabilities

• Operating environments: military training and fielding support, autonomous no-GPS flight series, Iron Lance tactical targeting campaign, contested battlefield communications missions, Public-safety, search-and-rescue and emergency-response scenes
• Control modes: Operator Supervised Autonomy
• GNSS-denied navigation

  Demonstrated - Completed 11 fully autonomous flights without GPS. - environment: autonomous no-GPS flight series

  Source
• GNSS-denied navigation

  Claimed - 2025-10-13 - The payload lineup includes the CACI Mastodon FireBeast, Silvus StreamCaster MANET relay, and PDW's own A-PNT vision-based navigation module for GPS-denied mission execution.

  Source
• ISR and tactical support

  Demonstrated - 2026-02-18 - PDW demonstrated the C100 at the Crimson Tomahawk 25 joint exercise for U.S. Air Force and Special Forces teams across Joint Fires and Effects, Close Air Support, and mounted and dismounted maneuver scenarios.

  Source
• Target designation

  Demonstrated - Identified and designated threats with a laser-equipped C100 during the Iron Lance campaign. - environment: Iron Lance tactical targeting campaign

  Source
• Communications relay

  Claimed - 2025-10-13 - Provide communications relay through the Multi-Mission Payload suite in contested environments. - environment: contested battlefield communications missions

  Source
• Electronic-warfare sensing and response

  Claimed - 2025-10-13 - The payload suite extends the C100 from a portable quadcopter into a more flexible battlefield system for relay, APNT, and electronic warfare-adjacent missions.

  Source
• ISR and tactical support

  Claimed - Provide first-in visible and thermal imagery of an emergency scene. - environment: Public-safety, search-and-rescue and emergency-response scenes

  Source
• Public-safety response

  Claimed - Carry a phone, radio, medical pack or flotation device into an emergency scene. - environment: Public-safety, search-and-rescue and emergency-response scenes

  Source
• Fielding and operator support

  Demonstrated - 2026-01-28 - PDW supported Army Transformation in Contact units at the National Training Center with C100 training, technical integration, troubleshooting and operator mentorship in contested operating conditions. - environment: military training and fielding support

  Source

• Order / Commitment

  US$20.9 million - 2025-09-15 - U.S. Army - defense field operations - PDW received a $20.9 million U.S. Army award to provide C100 UAS and Multi-Mission Payload support for Transformation in Contact formations.

  Source

• Operating Use

  C100 field support at National Training Center - 2026-01-28 - U.S. Army Transformation in Contact units - military training and fielding support - PDW supported Army Transformation in Contact units at the National Training Center with C100 training, technical integration, troubleshooting and operator mentorship in contested operating conditions.

  Source

• PDW raises over $110M Series B to expand modular military drone production

  2026-03-25 - Funding - PDW said it closed a Series B financing led by Ondas with participation from Hood River, Cedar Pine, Hanwha Asset Management's venture fund, Booz Allen Hamilton, and other existing and new investors. The company said the proceeds will support future growth initiatives and ramp production of its multi-mission drones, including the flagship C100 platform and Attritable Multirotor. The round matters because it funds both product expansion and domestic manufacturing scale for mission-ready small UAS systems rather than a software-only defence stack.

  Source
• PDW validates long-range and GPS-denied sUAS performance during 9 Mile test series

  2026-03-20 - Demonstration - PDW completed a three-day test campaign at the 9-Mile Training Center in Texas, executing 114 flights across hardware, software, autonomy, and communications systems. The campaign validated 20 km command-and-control on the C100 with range-extension hardware, 10+ km BVLOS operations on the AM-FPV using Doodle Labs mesh networking, and 11 fully autonomous C100 flights without GPS using the Vision Payload. The tests moved beyond basic flight claims and showed extended-range, GPS-denied, and software-integrated mission performance across PDW's current defence UAS stack.

  Source
• PDW demonstrates C100 support capabilities during Crimson Tomahawk 25

  2026-02-18 - Demonstration - PDW demonstrated the C100 at the Crimson Tomahawk 25 joint exercise for U.S. Air Force and Special Forces teams across Joint Fires and Effects, Close Air Support support, and mounted and dismounted maneuver scenarios. The C100 integrated with JTAC teams for ISR, fires support, battle damage assessment, and target marking using the Raptor LP payload's laser pointer, and also delivered an inert munition that disabled a target vehicle. The exercise shows the C100 being used as a multi-mission combat support UAS in realistic joint-force workflows rather than only as a standalone reconnaissance drone.

  Source
• PDW supports Army Transformation in Contact units at the National Training Center

  2026-01-28 - Deployment - PDW sent instructors and support personnel to the National Training Center for Army Transformation in Contact units. The work covered technical integration, troubleshooting, operator mentorship and C100 use in contested operating conditions. The support activity shows PDW participating in Army fielding and iteration loops around C100 operations after procurement.

  Source
• PDW demonstrates laser-equipped C100 targeting in the Iron Lance campaign

  2026-01-14 - Demonstration - PDW said its 2025 Iron Lance campaign ran laser-designator and launched-effects demonstrations across the U.S. and UK with the Department of War and UK allies. The campaign used the C100 with purpose-built laser target designator payloads to support land-air-sea precision strike, achieving 35+ minutes of LTD-equipped flight time across four demonstrations. The demonstration positions the C100 as an organic targeting and strike-enablement system rather than only an ISR quadcopter, and points toward future sensor-to-shooter automation.

  Source
• PDW launches a Multi-Mission Payload suite for the C100

  2025-10-13 - Product Launch - PDW launched a new C100 Multi-Mission Payload suite focused on communications relay, vision-based navigation, and spectrum awareness in contested environments. The payload lineup includes the CACI Mastodon FireBeast, Silvus StreamCaster MANET relay, and PDW's own A-PNT vision-based navigation module for GPS-denied mission execution. The payload suite extends the C100 from a portable quadcopter into a more flexible battlefield system for relay, APNT, and electronic warfare-adjacent missions.

  Source
• PDW receives a $20.9M U.S. Army award for Transformation in Contact support

  2025-09-15 - Contract Award - PDW said it received a $20.9M U.S. Army award to supply C100 UAS and Multi-Mission Payloads in support of the Army's Transformation in Contact initiative. The award supports units within 18th Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and follows two earlier TiC contracts under the Army's Medium Range Reconnaissance effort. The award ties PDW's C100 and payload stack to real Army fielding demand and expands the program from earlier reconnaissance use toward broader multi-mission deployment.

  Source
• PDW opens Drone Factory 01 in Huntsville to scale tactical drone production

  2025-08-20 - Facility Opening - PDW opened Drone Factory 01, a 90,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Huntsville designed to bring design, manufacturing, flight test, and delivery under one roof. The site is built for full-rate production of the C100 and AM-FPV, with stated monthly capacity of 350 C100s and 5,000 AM-FPVs. The facility gives PDW a visible domestic production base and supports its claim that it can deliver tactical drones at scale rather than only in low-volume batches.

  Source
• U.S. Army selects Performance Drone Works for company-level sUAS tranche

  2024-11-04 - Contract Award - The selection was part of the Army’s company-level small UAS procurement pathway. Performance Drone Works’ C100 family fits the tactical reconnaissance and company-level UAS requirement. The award strengthened PDW’s defence-drone demand signal.

  Source

Market context

PDW's flagship multi-mission tactical quadcopter for defence: modular Group 2 UAS with open payload architecture for ISR, fires, EW, comms relay, and kinetic effects.

• Target environment: Defence operational environments including forward operating bases and tactical field sites.
• Workflow context: Tactical ISR, reconnaissance, surveillance and payload delivery with modular mission-configurable open-architecture design.
• Customer context: Defence customers requiring modular tactical UAVs for multi-mission field operations.
• Deployment model: Deployed defence product with active procurement.
• Commercial maturity: Active defence product with field use and procurement programs.
• Adoption constraints: Defence procurement cycles and mission-specific payload certification.
• Market position: PDW's flagship tactical quadcopter with open payload architecture in the Group 2 tactical UAV segment.
• Adjacent products: Black Widow, PDW AM, tactical multirotor systems

Comparable Systems

• Black Widow

  Red Cat - Tactical Isr UAV

• Teal 2

  Red Cat - UAV

• ZY-GZ140

  Beijing Zhuoyi Intelligent - UAV

• Draganfly Apex

  Draganfly - UAV

• HONEY BADGER

  XTEND - Reconnaissance UAV

• WOLVERINE

  XTEND - Reconnaissance UAV

Related Systems

• AM

  PDW - UAV

• Gobi

  Harmattan AI - UAV

• SCORPIO 1000

  XTEND - UAV

• SCORPIO 500

  XTEND - Reconnaissance UAV

• Skydio X10D

  Skydio - UAV

• JUMP 20-X

  AeroVironment - UAV