Army soldiers will evaluate swarm-control software and a reusable loitering drone in field tests.
The U.S. Army has awarded defense and technology company Palladyne AI two contracts to test its AI-powered swarm software and reusable strike drone with soldiers during field exercises in Colorado and California.
The contracts, awarded under the Army’s Disruptive Applications Broad Agency Announcement, will support operational validation of the company’s SwarmOS autonomy platform and the Gremlin-X unmanned aerial vehicle.
The technologies will be evaluated by soldiers from the Army’s 4th Infantry Division during reconnaissance and target acquisition exercises. Palladyne AI said the demonstrations will use Army-specified platforms and the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), a command-and-control system widely used by U.S. forces.
The effort reflects the Army’s growing interest in autonomous systems that can operate in environments where communications are limited or disrupted.
One operator, many drones
SwarmOS is an autonomy software stack designed to allow a single operator to control multiple autonomous systems from different manufacturers at the same time.
According to the Utah-based company, the software runs on edge hardware and is designed to function in degraded or denied communications environments. Rather than relying on centralized control infrastructure, the platform enables autonomous systems to coordinate with one another while operating in the field.
“The hardest problem in autonomous systems isn’t making one platform smart, it’s making heterogeneous platforms from different manufacturers collaborate intelligently without dependence on centralized infrastructure that adversaries can target and defeat,” said Dr. Denis Garagic, Chief Technology Officer and Principal Investigator, Palladyne AI.
He added: “We solved that.”
The Army exercises will evaluate how the software supports reconnaissance and target acquisition missions while integrating with existing military command-and-control tools.
Reusable strike drone
The second technology being tested is Gremlin-X, a Group 2 multirotor drone being developed as a reusable loitering munition.
Unlike traditional loitering munitions that are typically lost after striking a target, Gremlin-X is designed to return and be recovered after a mission. The company said this approach could reduce costs because only the munition payload would need replacement rather than the entire aircraft.
Gremlin-X is intended to operate in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited communications environments, often referred to as DDIL conditions. The drone is being developed to support small, dispersed military formations that may need to engage targets without relying on centralized command networks.
Beyond the 4th Infantry Division exercises, Palladyne AI plans to demonstrate SwarmOS, IntelliSwarm, and Gremlin-X during Northern Strike 26-2, a large U.S. military training exercise involving more than 9,000 participants.
“This contract marks a decisive shift in how the U.S. Army is engaging with autonomous systems, moving from evaluation to funded operational use in the field,” said Doug Dynes, President of Palladyne Aerospace and Defense.
The company said the demonstrations will help validate the technologies in operational settings and could support future defense opportunities as the military continues exploring autonomous systems, drone swarms, and human-machine teaming concepts for battlefield operations.
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With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.