Dstl drone swarm accelerates Army autonomy ambition

A British Army drone swarm trial delivered by Dstl and industry partners marks a significant step forward in the UK's autonomous systems capability.

The British Army has successfully experimented with a drone swarm in a realistic military environment in a major step forward for the UK’s ability to deploy autonomous systems on the battlefield.

Phase 1 of the Software Defined Swarms Concept Demonstrator, which created the swarm, was delivered by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in partnership with Army HQ and industry and builds on joint activity within AUKUS Pillar 2. The demonstrator represents a significant advancement in the UK’s use of autonomous systems and supports the Army’s ambition to enhance combat effectiveness and maintain operational advantage.

Future battlefields will increasingly be shaped by autonomous technologies. The Army needs a clear understanding of how swarming drones can be used effectively, safely and at scale in support of forward deployed tasks such as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.

Bringing together expertise from across Dstl’s Land Systems and Autonomy Programme teams, Dstl delivered the UK’s first high technology readiness, collective control swarming drone demonstrations. Two industry-led options, one by BlueBear (a SAAB Company) and the other by the Disruptor Group (a consortium of UK companies led by Applied Intuition), were tested in realistic operational environments. These trials enabled the Army to judge their ability to complete representative battlefield tasks.