Military drone swarm technology from Saab: One soldier controls 100 drones
Sweden is further expanding its defense capabilities. A largely autonomous swarm of drones for reconnaissance and surveillance is to help with this.
Different drones can be combined into swarms and controlled by one soldier.
(Image: Saab)
The Swedish defense company Saab Dynamics, part of the Saab Group, has developed a drone swarm technology for military use that enables up to 100 unmanned reconnaissance drones to be controlled simultaneously by a single soldier. Larger and heavier drones can also be part of the swarm.
Expansion of Swedish defense
After joining NATO, Sweden is keen to expand its defense capabilities more quickly, also with a view to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It has become clear that drones are becoming increasingly important in combat scenarios – also for reconnaissance.
This is where Saab's new drone swarm technology comes in. Swedish Defense Minister PĂĄl Jonson gave a few insights into the new AI system at the People and Defense National Conference 2025 in Salen, Sweden, as reported by Soldat & Technik and others. According to the report, it is possible to operate up to 100 unmanned drones of different sizes and weights simultaneously by just one soldier.
Largely autonomous drone swarm
Drones weighing up to 25 kg can be part of the swarm. These drones will initially be equipped with reconnaissance and surveillance technology. This should enable them to carry out missions autonomously and help locate and identify enemy objects, for example.
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As they are electrically powered drones, they will be able to fly back to base independently when the batteries run low to return to the deployment site after charging. The drones are networked with each other and can divide up different tasks within the swarm.
The system is said to be protected against electronic warfare. The drones can therefore also send their reconnaissance data back to the operator in contested areas. Saab states that operators can be trained for the system within a few days.
Accelerated development
The development of drone swarm technology would normally have taken five years, says Jonson. However, Sweden has greatly accelerated development over the past twelve months, meaning that the system is already available. However, its operational readiness in real scenarios still needs to be verified. The technology is then to be supplied to the Swedish army before the end of the year. Sweden intends to present the new system in more detail during the NATO exercise “Arctic Strike” in March.
(olb)
