Israeli drone tech aids Mexican rescue teams after Venezuela earthquakes

Israeli drone technology from the Israeli company Xtend is helping Mexican rescue teams search for survivors and victims after the June 24 twin earthquakes in Venezuela, and has already played a role in the rescue of a man trapped for 72 hours beneath collapsed debris.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the Venezuelan government approached Xtend – headquartered in Tel Aviv and Florida – to assist in the rescue effort. The company quickly dispatched a team to Venezuela, where it was assigned to work with Mexico City’s Search and Rescue unit, Los Topos Tlatelolco.

Using Xtend’s drone technology, the Mexican rescue team successfully located and extracted a man who had been trapped between a roof and a collapsed wall for three days, highlighting the role of the Israeli system in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation.

The drone technology being used includes Xtend’s Honey Badger, a compact multi-mission drone designed for close-range operations in dense urban terrain and in environments where GPS access is disrupted. The Honey Badger works alongside the company’s XTENDER platform, a micro tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system built for indoor and subterranean operations where GPS is limited or unavailable.

According to Xtend, the platform is impact-resistant and equipped with floodlights that allow operators to navigate and gather intelligence in low-visibility environments. Weighing 1.2 kilograms (2.5 pounds), the drone has a flight time of about 10 minutes and a range of more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile. It also includes encrypted communications, sense-and-avoid capabilities, and multiple launch options, including ground, hand, and air deployment.

Israeli rescue teams from the IDF Home Front Command also deployed to Venezuela last month to support rescue and recovery efforts, despite Venezuela having severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009. Israeli nonprofits joined the response as well, including NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief, which sent an emergency team of six to eight professional volunteers, including medical and social workers.

Xtend was founded in 2018 by Aviv Shapira, Matteo Shapira, Rubi Liani, and Adir Tubi. Originally launched as a gaming company, Xtend later adapted its technology for military and high-risk operational use, including after the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israeli border communities.

The company says its mission is to make the world safer by integrating AI-powered robotic platforms into high-risk environments where autonomy, speed, and human control must work together. Xtend says it has since deployed more than 10,000 systems in over 30 countries and across five combat zones.