General Atomics

Applied Intuition UK to lead consortium advancing swarming capabilities

Applied Intuition UK today announced it has been awarded a contract for the first phase of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Defence and Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl) Software Defined Swarms programme, to deliver a complete autonomy test bed for ground-launched, near-surface drone swarms.

Image courtesy Dstl

Together with its consortium of partners, Applied Intuition UK will enable the MoD to trial, refine and accelerate cutting-edge swarming behaviours across high-fidelity simulation and live flight trials. The company has grown significantly since opening its first UK office in May. The win marks a major milestone for the company’s sustained investment in the UK defence ecosystem and its commitment to building sovereign autonomy capability alongside British industry. 

The consortium brings together Applied Intuition UK as prime contractor, with Rowden Technologies, Evolve Dynamics, SAIF Autonomy, Frazer-Nash Consultancy and an academic partner. Evolve Dynamics’ WOLFE-NATO will serve as the consortium’s main UAS platform.
Together, they will provide the MoD with an integrated swarming uncrewed aerial systems capability and will support the development of collaborative autonomy underpinned by principles set out from MoD’s Land Open Systems Architecture (LOSA). 

“Applied Intuition UK is proud to partner with Dstl and this group of fast-moving SMEs to advance next-generation swarming capabilities,” said Iain Lamont MBE, Head of Applied Intuition UK. “Our leading simulation platform will enable the British Army to accelerate delivery of its ‘20-40-40′ priority. We are providing a fast, open and scalable autonomy testbed that will help the MoD learn and deliver at pace while driving growth and investment across the UK.”

The award follows Applied Intuition’s successful autonomous air launched effects demonstrations for NATO allies, demonstrating how its software can manage complex swarm operations across multiple platforms in contested environments.

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