Direct proof of use
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence reported on 30 May 2025 that TechEx's Stalker fiber-optic FPV drones had been codified since early 2025 and were actively deployed by combat units in Russia's war against Ukraine. The same official account described the Stalker XO-10 as the 10-inch model optimized for precision strikes against enemy vehicles, equipment, and personnel at forward positions.
The XO-10 MAX record is tied to that documented Stalker XO-10 combat-use context and to TechEx's own XO-10 MAX product page, which presents the MAX as a single-use fiber-optic FPV drone for time-critical precision missions. Public sources reviewed for this record do not identify a separate battlefield incident by the exact XO-10 MAX name.
Sources: Stalker drone - Tracks and strikes despite EW, Stalker XO-10 MAX product page
Narrative
The Stalker line belongs to Ukraine's wartime shift toward fiber-optic FPV drones, a class used to preserve operator control in electronic-warfare-heavy front-line conditions. The Ministry of Defence framed the Stalker series as a battlefield-feedback program, with combat units sending data from combat flights back to the manufacturer.
Within the Stalker family, the XO-10 role is described as front-line precision attack, while the larger XO-15 is described for tactical-depth targets such as command posts, artillery, air-defense systems, and electronic-warfare assets. The XO-10 MAX keeps the compact XO-10-family identity but TechEx lists a longer 15 km range class, fiber-optic module and cable spool options, thermal-imaging and target-acquisition options, and a universal warhead mounting location.
The documented user for the conflict record is Ukraine. The public evidence supports Stalker-series and XO-10 deployment by Ukrainian combat units, plus the existence and specifications of the XO-10 MAX configuration; it does not provide an independently dated XO-10 MAX strike location or unit-level sortie record.
Sources: Stalker drone - Tracks and strikes despite EW, Stalker FPV drones details from MoD coverage, TechEx production interview on Stalker drones, Stalker XO-10 MAX product page