The Swedish defense concern Saab has introduced an innovative technology for controlling a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which allows for effective coordination of the actions of drones of different types and sizes within a single system, which is already ready for testing during the Arctic Strike exercises.
Strengthening defense capabilities has become an urgent task for Sweden, a new NATO member. The threat of military conflicts has forced the development of drone swarm control technology to be accelerated, Defense Minister Poul Jonsson said at a conference in Salen. The project, which would normally have taken five years, was completed in just one year thanks to the joint efforts of Saab and the Swedish Armed Forces. The new system allows a single operator to control a swarm of hundreds of drones that can perform a variety of tasks, such as reconnaissance, search and target identification.
A feature of the technology is the ability to autonomously distribute tasks between drones. According to the minister, “drones can delegate tasks, return to base for charging and continue missions, ensuring continuity of operations.” The system is also adapted to the conditions of a “contested environment” when enemy electronic warfare (EW) equipment is operating, ensuring the transmission of critical data to the operator.
Training the military to operate a swarm takes just a few days, making the system fast to deploy. Saab already has experience with swarm technology: in November 2024, the company successfully tested the Autonomous Swarm system in the USA. Another Saab innovation, a next-generation cloaking network, is capable of selectively shielding from detection without blocking GPS or radio communications, providing an additional advantage on the battlefield.
This technology is expected to significantly enhance the combat capability of the Swedish army, providing it with modern means of countering potential threats in the region.