Palladyne's drone-swarm software wins its first funded Army contracts
A system that lets one soldier fly a mixed drone swarm moves from demonstration to paid Army field validation, a step toward a program of record.
Palladyne AI moves SwarmOS from an unfunded demonstration to paid Army field validation, its first contract for the swarm software.
Palladyne AI was awarded two U.S. Army contracts on June 17 to research, develop and operationally validate its SwarmOS autonomy software and Gremlin-X strike drone with 4th Infantry Division soldiers, Interesting Engineering reported. The Army picked the company competitively under its Disruptive Applications Broad Agency Announcement, according to Palladyne.
SwarmOS runs on a drone's onboard computer and lets one operator command unmanned systems from several manufacturers at once, without the central data link an adversary can jam, the company said. Gremlin-X, formerly called Banshee, is a reusable Group 2 quadrotor that delivers a munition and returns, which puts the recurring cost on the munition rather than the airframe. Both will run through 4th Infantry Division exercises in Colorado and California, feeding target tracks into ATAK, the Army's fielded command-and-control app.
Three days earlier Palladyne had flown SwarmOS inside the Army's NGC2 command prototype at the Ivy Mass exercise, and at the time said it held no production contract or funded requirement for the software. Doug Dynes, president of Palladyne Aerospace and Defense, called the new awards "a decisive shift in how the U.S. Army is engaging with autonomous systems, moving from evaluation to funded operational use in the field," and a step toward a program of record.
Palladyne shares (NASDAQ: PDYN) rose about 5.4% in premarket trade after the disclosure, Investing.com wrote. The Salt Lake City company employs around 160 people and pitches itself as a mid-tier autonomy prime selling low-cost distributed drones to a Pentagon that has prioritized cheap unmanned mass.
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Subscribe Free →Palladyne plans to demonstrate SwarmOS, IntelliSwarm and Gremlin-X at Northern Strike 26-2, a Department of War joint exercise with more than 9,000 participants.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Palladyne AI win?
Two U.S. Army contracts, awarded competitively under the Army's Disruptive Applications Broad Agency Announcement, to research, develop and operationally validate its SwarmOS autonomy software and Gremlin-X strike drone with 4th Infantry Division soldiers, per Palladyne's announcement.
What is SwarmOS?
Palladyne's edge AI software that lets a single operator command a team of unmanned systems from multiple manufacturers at once, running on the drones' own hardware without a central link, according to the company.
What is Gremlin-X?
A reusable Group 2 strike drone, formerly called Banshee, that delivers a munition and returns for reuse, so the recurring cost per strike falls on the munition rather than the airframe, per the company's release carried by Business Wire.
How is this different from the Ivy Mass demo three days earlier?
At Ivy Mass, Palladyne flew SwarmOS inside the Army's NGC2 command prototype but said it held no production contract or funded requirement. These contracts fund operational validation with soldiers, which the company called a shift from evaluation to funded use.
Where will the systems be tested next?
Across 4th Infantry Division exercises in Colorado and California via the Army's ATAK command interface, and at Northern Strike 26-2, a joint exercise involving more than 9,000 participants, per Palladyne.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.