Swarm Defense Technologies has received an order from the US Department of War for 4,000 Kiwi one-way attack drones, with a minimum value of $25 million including munitions. The Michigan-based company will build the aircraft for US military use.

The order was placed under the Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program, a challenge-based acquisition effort that uses military testing to evaluate small uncrewed aircraft before placing prototype delivery orders. The latest award follows the second Gauntlet competition at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The Kiwi is a quadcopter configured for one-way attack missions. But the technology behind the order extends beyond the individual aircraft. Swarm Defense pairs its drones with software designed to let one operator control multiple aircraft simultaneously.

The company will manufacture the drones at its 40,000-square-foot facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Swarm Defense grew out of Firefly Drone Shows, which has built more than 20,000 swarming drones since 2017 and shares engineering and manufacturing resources with the defense company.

The company’s Strike Deck ground control software is designed to coordinate dozens of aircraft from a single operator. It automates waypoint navigation and relay-aircraft flight control while continuously managing flight paths to prevent aircraft from interfering with one another.

The system also provides terminal guidance for the final approach to operator-designated targets. Target selection and engagement authorization, however, remain with human operators.

“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, President of Swarm Defense Technologies and a former Navy SEAL.