U.S. company Swarm Defense Technologies has received an order for 4,000 Kiwi one-way attack drones under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Drone Dominance Program. The minimum value of the contract, including munitions, is $25 million.
The Kiwi is a small quadcopter designed to fly to a target and detonate on impact. The drones will be manufactured at Swarm Defense’s facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, which covers approximately 3,700 square meters.
The order follows the second competitive round of the program, Gauntlet II, held in August at Fort Carson, Colorado. Military operators conducted 1,858 sorties with 23 drone designs from 19 companies. The tests covered various scenarios, including strikes from distances of up to 15 km, flights in confined spaces, night missions, and operations in conditions involving electronic jamming and counter-drone systems.
Swarm Defense placed fifth in the deep-strike category with a score of 66 points. Under the program’s rules, fifth place in each mission area resulted in an order for 4,000 drones.
One of the Kiwi’s features is its ability to operate as part of a drone swarm. The Strike Deck software allows a single operator to control dozens of aircraft simultaneously. The system automates waypoint navigation, controls relay drones to extend radio range, and helps prevent collisions between aircraft.
During the final stage of the flight, the Kiwi can autonomously guide itself toward the target. At the same time, target selection and authorization to engage remain with the operator.
According to Swarm Defense Technologies President Adam Wright, the Kiwi allows one operator to control five drones simultaneously after several hours of training. He also said that swarm operations allow a single pilot to perform tasks that would normally require several operators.
Swarm Defense grew out of Firefly Drone Shows, which has built more than 20,000 drones for light shows since 2017. The companies share engineering and manufacturing resources in Auburn Hills.
Swarm Defense develops its own flight controllers, motor controllers, power and battery electronics, embedded software, ground control software, and swarm coordination technologies in-house.
The order covers the one-way attack version of the Kiwi. At the same time, the drone can be configured for reconnaissance missions, used as an airborne communications relay, or operated as a reusable drone for dropping munitions.
Separately, Swarm Defense has a Phase I prototype agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit under the Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System project. The concept involves placing containers with drones at forward positions, where they can remain ready for launch by an operator at a remote station to conduct reconnaissance and strike missions.
