US Orders 4,000 Kiwi Attack Drones After Drone Dominance Trials

Swarm Defense pairs 4,000 Kiwi attack drones with software enabling single-operator control of large coordinated formations.

Swarm Defense Technologies has received a prototype delivery order for 4,000 Kiwi one-way attack drones and other munitions, valued at a minimum of $25 million.

The award follows Gauntlet 2 of the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program, where military officials evaluated Kiwi in realistic mission scenarios.

The order includes the company’s Strike Deck ground-control software, which it said allows one operator to manage dozens of Kiwi drones.

The drones coordinate their navigation and flight, while the operator retains control over target selection.

Swarm Defense said Kiwi can also be configured as an airborne communications relay, a reusable precision-drop platform, or an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft.

“The Drone Dominance Program has placed its confidence in both our aircraft and our ability to deliver them at scale. Our engineers and production team earned this opportunity through constant testing and improvement,” said Swarm Defense CEO Kyle Dorosz.

“We appreciate the program’s trust. Our focus now is on delivering for the service members who will rely on these systems.”

Containerized Drone Swarms

Separately, Swarm Defense holds a Phase 1 prototype agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit for a Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System.

The concept would place a container of drones at a concealed site, ready for an operator to launch remotely for reconnaissance or strike missions.

If adapted for Kiwi, it could offer another way to deploy the attack drone in numbers.

“Combat units need to bring volume to the fight. Swarming allows a single pilot to accomplish what it normally takes several pilots to do,” said Adam Wright, Swarm Defense President.

“The Kiwi breaks the math of drone warfare. It’s so simple that anyone can learn to fly five of them simultaneously after only a few hours of training.”

Source: Drone Front