In January 2026, the Baton Rouge Police Department was the first of its kind to adopt the use of the Edge Autonomy Stalker VXE30, an unmanned drone designed by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. In an interview with local ABC affiliate WBRZ, Police Chief TJ Morse stated the department is now heavily invested in drone technology due to “losing our helicopter program and our aviation support unit” in a 2023 police chopper crash that took the lives of two BRPD officers.
The small-footprint drone with a 16-foot wingspan can be disassembled to fit in a small SUV or van and features a maximum FAA-cleared flight ceiling of 400 feet. The Stalker VXE30 has an optimal cruise speed of 36 mph, a top speed of 58 mph, and a communications range of up to 100 miles. It can also take off and land vertically. Drone operators can swap out attached cameras, with the BRPD drone’s current configuration featuring a four hour flight time and a thermal camera with “very good zoom capabilities”.
This isn’t the first drone the department has added to its arsenal. The VXE30 puts the total number of the BRPD’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to 31, operated by 24 FAA-licensed drone pilots in a dedicated task force. It makes sense that the department would increasingly turn to UAVs offering full remote operation to leverage safety as well as new advances in remote technology. While the VXE30 is a traditional drone, other government agencies are also exploring the possibility of using increasingly-advanced UAVs, including the possibility of the FBI fielding “unjammable drones” controlled by fiber optics.
What else do we know about the Stalker VXE30?
The capabilities for a drone the size of the VXE30 size are fairly impressive. While the model the BRPD will use is not meant to carry or drop anything, it is highly tooled for surveillance with payloads structured for cutting-edge cameras. The compact size and easily-disassembled design make it ideal for the department’s needs. It can be broken down and reassembled quickly by a single person or small team, and its vertical take off functionality means it can be used in the field and deployed quickly virtually anywhere. In the demonstration video from Lockheed Martin we can see it taking off from a relatively cramped location.
Modern AI has had a transformative effect on the military and law enforcement, and another benefit of the Lockheed Martin VXE and XE-class drones is their intelligent automation. Pilots an control the drone with a computer interface, with the UAV itself providing autonomous navigation while pilots operate its onboard surveillance systems. Waypoint navigation, cursor-on-target compliance, and an integrated tracker are a just few advanced features the VXE30 offers.
The department says the drone will be used to search inside buildings, monitor perimeters during suspect searches, support in active vehicle pursuits, and assist other departments like local fire and rescue. As it’s not a traditional quadcopter, the Stalker VXE’s design might make it slightly more difficult to tell the difference between a drone or airplane from the ground, even if it is a lot smaller than your average fixed-wing aircraft. However, the use of stealthy surveillance and military tech in the hands of a local police department has resulted in civil rights groups pushing for more restrictive policies and clearer, more defined oversight.
