Successful Completion of Ex RHINO BIZZ Builds on Historic UK Live-Fire Milestone with 2 PARA, Validates the British Army's First Long-Range Autonomous Strike Missions with Live Kinetic Payloads

TAMPA, Fla. and SWINDON, U.K., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JFB Construction Holdings (Nasdaq: JFB) announced today that XTEND, a leader in software systems and artificial intelligence-powered robotics, successfully supported the British Army during Ex RHINO BIZZ, a major drone and electronic warfare exercise conducted at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Alberta, Canada.

The exercise represents the latest milestone in XTEND's expanding collaboration with the British Army following the historic live-fire demonstration conducted with the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) earlier this year, which marked the first live firing of an uncrewed aerial system by British forces in UK airspace.

Conducted across the 2,700-square-kilometer (1,042-square-mile) BATUS training area, Ex RHINO BIZZ brought together approximately 350 soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade to train in next-generation combat operations reflecting lessons emerging from modern conflicts. The exercise combined autonomous systems, electronic warfare, contested communications and human-machine teaming to replicate increasingly realistic battlefield conditions and reflects the British Army's continued evolution toward software-defined autonomous operations.

"Modern warfare is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in generations," said Aviv Shapira, Co-Founder and CEO of XTEND. "Military advantage will increasingly belong to forces capable of integrating software-defined autonomy into everyday operations. The successful operational employment of our systems during Ex RHINO BIZZ demonstrates how AI-powered autonomy is evolving from technology demonstrations into operational capability, enabling armed forces to execute increasingly complex missions while keeping soldiers further from harm."

During Ex RHINO BIZZ, soldiers from 2 PARA employed XTEND's SCORPIO 1000 autonomous strike systems in seek-and-strike missions across one of the world's largest military training areas, operating under realistic battlefield conditions that included electronic warfare and GNSS-denied scenarios. XTEND deployed five SCORPIO 1000 systems, operated independently by 2 PARA's UAS Platoon without XTEND operational support, demonstrating the unit's ability to independently employ the capability in realistic operational conditions.

XTEND's systems were the only autonomous platforms authorized to operate with live kinetic payloads during the exercise, enabling British forces to successfully validate autonomous strike missions designed to engage targets at distances of 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles), 6.5 kilometers (4.0 miles) and 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles). This represents the British Army's first validation of long-range autonomous strike missions with live kinetic payloads.

This achievement further strengthens XTEND's presence in the United Kingdom following the establishment of its sovereign UK XFAB manufacturing and support facility in Swindon. The facility provides localized manufacturing, engineering and lifecycle support for the United Kingdom and allied defense customers as demand for sovereign autonomous capabilities continues to grow.

"Our collaboration with the British Army has progressed from an initial proof-of-concept demonstration to independent operational employment by frontline soldiers," said Ofer Shahaf, General Manager of XTEND UK. "Progressing to Ex RHINO BIZZ reflects the confidence built through close collaboration with British defense stakeholders and our commitment to supporting the long-term modernization of allied forces through sovereign autonomous capabilities."

XTEND's SCORPIO 1000 is powered by the company's proprietary XTEND Operating System (XOS), an AI-driven autonomy platform that enables operators to execute complex missions with significantly reduced training requirements. The platform combines autonomous navigation, human-guided autonomy, resilient communications and mission-adaptable payload integration to support operations in complex and contested environments, allowing operators to maintain mission effectiveness in rapidly evolving battlefield conditions.

The successful completion of Ex RHINO BIZZ marks another milestone in XTEND's long-term collaboration with the British Army and reinforces the Company's position as a provider of operationally validated AI-powered autonomous systems supporting the modernization of allied defense forces.

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