Engineering the swarm: how software is powering autonomous defence systems

Image courtesy PTC

Defence organisations across the globe are investing heavily in swarming autonomy. DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) programme has demonstrated swarms of hundreds of unmanned air and ground vehicles working together to complete reconnaissance and strike missions.

The Royal Navy is advancing its own autonomous initiatives, deploying AI-coordinated surface and underwater vessels for mine countermeasures through programmes like RNMB Ariadne and Thales’ autonomous minehunting system. Meanwhile, NATO and the European Defence Fund are investing heavily in software-defined swarming capabilities designed to adapt dynamically to emerging threats.

These programmes all point toward the same conclusion: defence superiority is being defined by software. As systems become more autonomous and connected, the real competitive advantage will come from the code that governs system behaviour and the data that drives decision making.

Engineering complexity at scale
Swarming autonomy changes everything about how defence systems are engineered. In a swarm, dozens of autonomous air, land, or maritime vehicles collaborate to achieve shared objectives. Each autonomous platform must meet multiple layers of requirements, from communications and cybersecurity to mission logic and human-machine interaction.

A single change in mission logic or communication architecture can produce cascading effects across the entire swarm, creating emergent behaviours that only surface once systems are tested or fielded. Layer in safety constraints and the need to continuously adapt to an environment and the engineering challenge only becomes more difficult.

Defining system behaviour before the build
Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) helps aerospace and defence organisations mitigate these risks by enabling a system-wide view of how autonomous systems are supposed to interact with each other. Teams can model communication flows, decision logic and mission behaviours in a connected SysML environment to analyse swarm dynamics and expose dependencies before physical testing.

Connecting the digital thread
A system’s behavioural insights only deliver value when they align with programme requirements and system baselines. To turn behavioural insights into a reliable, certifiable capability, systems models must stay connected to requirements, verification data and the broader product context.

Codebeamer enables this connected approach by unifying requirements, risk and verification evidence in a single controlled environment. 

When connected to PTC Modeler, teams can trace each behavioural model back to its originating requirement to understand how system changes affect safety, compliance, or mission objectives. Windchill completes the digital thread by managing configurations, change histories and system context across hardware and software domains to ensure that every update remains tied to the correct configuration and version of the system.

Validating multi-agent behaviour
Bringing behavioural models into simulation tools like MATLAB/Simulink, Ansys, or STK enables engineering teams to test mission scenarios and evaluate swarm performance under realistic conditions. When using these tools with PTC Modeler, systems engineers can validate collective behaviours earlier, refine system logic based on simulation results and maintain end-to-end traceability back to system requirements in Codebeamer and Windchill.

Supporting continuous innovation
Swarming technology is evolving quickly. Defence organisations are continuously refining algorithms, changing mission rules and upgrading platforms. PTC’s collaborative MBSE environment supports this agility through modular, open, reusable systems architecture that lets engineers update mission logic or add new capabilities without rebuilding the entire model.

Engineering the swarm
The capacity to design and coordinate autonomous systems with speed, security and accountability is shaping the next generation of defence. By integrating digital engineering tools that connect design intent, test data and operational insights, engineering teams can deliver adaptable systems while maintaining the highest levels of safety and compliance.