The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals from industry as it prepares to advance its autonomous drone swarm initiative.
In a recent solicitation issued by the DOD’s Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO), technology companies are invited to submit proposals for the Swarm Forge prototype project. According to the solicitation, this is a “competitive, multi-phased process aimed at identifying and selecting innovative solutions for the command, control, and collaboration of autonomous systems.”
Swarm Forge aims to accelerate the discovery, validation, and fielding of artificial intelligence-enabled robotic warfare, allowing the joint force to deploy software-defined, autonomous systems under “meaningful human command.” The initiative will utilize quarterly “Crucible” events where operators, technologists, and industry partners will co-develop hardware, software, and tactics “under realistic conditions.”
The goal is to deliver “validated swarm packages (integrated platforms, mission software, coordination logic, interfaces, and tactics) ready for transition to operational units in 90 days or less,” the solicitation reads.
The Pentagon’s current capabilities for massed robotic systems are hindered by legacy platforms and slow acquisition cycles. According to officials, traditional research and development methods have struggled to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats.
The Swarm Forge initiative seeks to address these gaps by demonstrating autonomous, heterogeneous swarming capabilities in environments with limited or degraded communication.
“As a part of the Swarm Forge Initiative, [CDAO], is seeking the demonstration of autonomous, heterogenous, Group 1 and/or Group 2 UAS swarming capabilities, working in a non-deterministic manner, to accomplish tactical effects in denied, degraded, intermittent or limited communication environments at a Swarm Forge Crucible event,” the solicitation states.
The solicitation asks vendors to demonstrate their technology’s ability to autonomously complete a variety of mission sets, including aerial intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and “Find, Fix, Finish” operations. Swarming applications for counter-UAS, distributed communications, and deception/information operations are also of interest.
Additionally, for the purposes of the Swarm Forge crucible, participants must demonstrate their technology with a minimum of four unmanned aerial systems in operation at once.
Proposals must include a five-page white paper and a one-page quad chart, with a submission deadline of April 17, 2026.