Key points
- Can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence gathering
- Project was announced by Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson
- Drone swarm technology developed in “a very short period”
ISLAMABAD: Advanced drone swarm technology, developed in Sweden, allows UAVs of various sizes to work together independently for missions like intelligence collection, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
According to Tech Explorers, developed by Saab and the Swedish Armed Forces, this system allows soldiers to command up to 100 drones simultaneously.
The drones can divide tasks independently and recharge autonomously when required.
Cluster of drones
According to Defense News, Sweden has unveiled a cluster of swarming aerial drones envisioned to equip ground and air units of the Swedish Armed Forces for intelligence and surveillance applications.
The project was announced by Swedish Minister for Defense Pal Jonson during a January 15 press conference.
The initiative has involved the participation of the Swedish aerospace company Saab in cooperation with the Swedish military, the Swedish Defense Material Administration and the Swedish Defense Research Agency.
While Saab does not provide the drones themselves, for now, it worked alongside the other agencies to design a software for their command and control.
“The individual UAVs in the swarm are equipped with different capabilities, such as varying sensors, payload, and communication capacities – the swarms are controlled by a single operator who can assign … tasks to one or more swarms, for instance via a mobile phone,” a Saab spokesperson said.
the swarms are controlled by a single operator who can assign … tasks to one or more swarms.” – Saab spokesperson.
The Saab representative added that the drone swarm technology was developed in “a very short period,” and that additional NATO countries have already expressed interest in it.
Short-range drones
The Scandinavian country borders the Baltic Sea, where NATO recently launched a maritime patrol mission, following a series of sabotage incidents against underwater infrastructure.
According to Defense News, A key challenge swarms have presented is that they are typically composed of relatively small, short-range drones, which implies that their flight time is highly limited to around 30 minutes.
