AI-Driven Swarm Control: The future of drone warfare

Thales’ AI-optimised autonomous function, with support from intelligent agents, eases operator cognitive loads while ensuring control is maintained. 

Introduction to Contact Drones 

Contact drones make it possible to act faster and more effectively, require no additional exposure of personnel, and are provided at moderate cost. This explains their spectacular proliferation in recent conflicts. However, constraints continue to limit their ever more extensive use. 

Operational Interest in Drone Swarms 

There is an operational interest in the simultaneous deployment of a large number of UAVs to generate acceleration or saturation effects. In current missions, operators each pilot just one machine at a time, using a radio link to control the drone from start to finish. The number of operators and spectrum availability are therefore limiting factors if we want to multiply the number of UAVs involved in an operation at any given time. This has consistently been a bottleneck, in the field of drone warfare, and consequently, any attempts to achieve advancements, that would accelerate the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop, have encountered significant challenges and limitations. 

Overcoming Limitations with Autonomy 

To overcome these limitations, the only solution is to give drones maximum autonomy, while ensuring that operators retain control of the mission at all times. Maintaining this balance requires multiple functions, to avoid relying on a single operator. It is therefore up to the system to manage this complexity, while presenting a simple, intuitive, man-machine interface that enables the desired level of control to be exercised. The tactical leader should then concentrate on the design of the maneuver and its successful execution. 

Thales Swarm Solution: SwarmMaster 

This is what SwarmMaster, Thales’ swarm solution, based on tactical autonomy contracts, achieves. This solution primarily lightens the cognitive load, whilst the operator remains the guarantor of ethics and compliance with doctrine. Thereby overcoming the various challenges associated with operator overload and enhancing situational awareness for a more effective operational response. 

Thales’ Swarm Demonstration 

This notable advancement made regarding drone technology, was showcased in the COHESION demonstration, that took place on the 16^th of October 2024.  The COHESION platform utilises advanced AI algorithms to solve the before-mentioned issues of communication and operator availability. Going forward, France anticipates a great need for innovative drone solutions, thus emphasising the importance of Thales’ ability to remain agile, to ensure SwarmMaster meets evolving combat requirements effectively. 

Cooperation with Military Forces 

Thales aims to enhance cooperation with military forces as seen during the Journée de Démonstrations d’Essaims de drones de Contact (JDEC) presentation. This event emphasises practical demonstrations, fostering engagement in environments like Brétigny, known to drone operators and aviators. This commitment reflects Thales’ dedication to aligning solutions with the operational needs of military users through direct collaboration.