Swarmer to Lead Development of a Deployable Drone Interceptor System
AUSTIN, Texas, May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swarmer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWMR), a drone autonomy software company which has supported more than 100,000 real-world combat missions in Ukraine since April 2024, today announced a collaboration with three other battle-proven companies to provide an end-to-end solution to intercept unmanned threats at a fraction of the cost of surface-to-air missiles currently being used for site defense.
Through memorandums of understanding, Swarmer will lead the integration of detection, counter-drone and targeting systems provided by X-Drone, Norda Dynamics and Kara Dag Technologies into its advanced collaborative autonomy platform. These partnerships will aim to create a turnkey service to defend against Group 1-3 unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned surface vessels up to eight meters in length.
"Interception is a complex process that requires detection, coordination, terminal guidance and kinetic engagement," said Erik Prince, Non-Executive Chairman of Swarmer. "An end-to-end interception stack requires multiple products integrated with a single software platform. I believe that site defense can one day be offered as a service with a standardized, replicable, container-sized product kit that can be transported to any location and deployed in 24 hours or less."
In March, Swarmer became the first defense technology company from Ukraine's defense ecosystem to complete an initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Swarmer's primary mission areas include autonomous swarm coordination, multi-domain unmanned systems integration, AI-powered collaborative autonomy and command and control software for distributed drone operations.
"We are seeing an urgent demand for rapid interceptor solutions across the globe," said Alex Fink, President and U.S. CEO of Swarmer. "Swarmer's software platform is hardware-agnostic and designed to make multiple systems interoperable. It enables a shift from fixed one-to-one targeting to large, coordinated swarms that can engage a swarm of incoming threats and even reassign targets in midair."
X-Drone is a Ukrainian company focused on next-generation AI drone technologies. Its product line includes multiple types of drones and drone-based interceptors, and it has delivered more than 70,000 unmanned systems to the front lines.
"We believe that unpiloted interceptors are the future," said an X-Drone spokesperson. "Our interceptor platform has demonstrated a proven ability to take down Shahed-type drones for 1/400th the cost of a Patriot missile."
Norda Dynamics is a Ukrainian provider of terminal guidance and navigation software. Its Underdog system has been deployed on more than 60,000 attritable drones used by Ukraine's armed forces.
"We have a proven track record of hitting moving vehicles in a wide variety of weather and visibility conditions," said Nazar Bigun, Norda Dynamics' CEO. "Maritime threats and slower-moving Group 1 aerial threats are next in line. Our software transforms any fast-moving FPV-type drone into an autonomous interceptor for UGVs, USVs and slower-moving Group 1 UAS."
Kara Dag Technologies is a Ukrainian provider of portable RF detectors, acoustic detectors and mesh triangulation software. It has deployed more than 3,000 detector units to the Ukrainian military.
"Radar systems are large, expensive and serve as easy targets for the enemy," said a Kara Dag spokesperson. "Our approach distributes the detection process across dozens of small nodes, achieving the same accuracy as an expensive radar system without a single point of failure."
Together, the companies aim to create an integrated end-to-end system that can intercept aerial, marine and ground-based threats without the need for a human pilot.
About Swarmer
Swarmer™ is a defense technology company that specializes in vendor-agnostic software which allows one operator to intuitively control hundreds of autonomous platforms in real time. Swarmer's primary mission areas include autonomous swarm coordination, integration of multi-domain unmanned systems and AI-powered autonomy software for distributed operations. Swarmer is not a drone manufacturer and does not depend on any single platform, supplier or hardware lifecycle. Instead, Swarmer operates at the intelligence layer, developing autonomy, coordination and decision-making software that enables large numbers of low-cost unmanned systems to operate collectively as one coherent, resilient force. Swarmer's technology has been rigorously validated in real-world kinetic environments and was first deployed in combat operations in Ukraine in April 2024. Since then, it has completed more than 100,000 combat missions, generating terabytes of proprietary data that informs its machine-learning models and enables the replication of advanced pilot performance at scale. Swarmer's routine use in combat missions generates continuous streams of telemetry, sensor data and operational feedback which are then used to refine performance, increase resilience and accelerate learning. Swarmer has headquarters in Austin, Texas, and maintains operations and teams in Ukraine, Poland and Estonia.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "can," "could," "design," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "seek," "should," "will," "would" and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated collaboration between Swarmer, X-Drone, Norda Dynamics and Kara Dag Technologies; the parties' ability to develop, integrate, test, validate, deploy, scale or commercialize an end-to-end drone interceptor solution; the potential creation of a turnkey site-defense service or standardized, replicable, container-sized product kit; the potential deployment of any such solution within 24 hours or less; the potential ability of any integrated solution to intercept aerial, marine or ground-based threats without a human pilot; anticipated cost, performance, interoperability, autonomy, targeting, detection, terminal guidance or counter-drone capabilities; the potential use of Swarmer's platform with third-party hardware, software, sensors, communications systems and unmanned systems; the expected benefits of the memorandums of understanding and related collaboration; and Swarmer's broader product development, commercialization, growth and defense market strategy.
These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: the non-binding nature of the memorandums of understanding; the parties' ability to negotiate and enter into definitive agreements on acceptable terms, or at all; the parties' ability to allocate technical, operational, commercial, intellectual property, support, liability and compliance responsibilities; the ability to integrate third-party communications, detection, targeting, terminal guidance, counter-drone, unmanned systems and related technologies into Swarmer's platform; technical, interoperability, cybersecurity, testing, qualification, safety, reliability and field-performance challenges; delays, cost increases or performance limitations in developing, testing, validating, producing, deploying or scaling any integrated solution; limitations of existing software, hardware, components, suppliers, manufacturing capacity, engineering resources, field support, trained operators and operational infrastructure; the ability to demonstrate the effectiveness, affordability, scalability, safety and reliability of any combined solution in operational environments; the ability to attract customers, vendors, integrators, channel partners and government or defense partners; procurement timelines, funding availability, budget priorities, contracting requirements and acceptance criteria applicable to government and defense customers; competition in the defense technology sector; reliance on government contracts and related procurement processes; geopolitical conditions affecting operations in Ukraine and other regions; risks related to operating through foreign subsidiaries and working with international partners; regulatory requirements applicable to defense technology, unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, data, cybersecurity, sanctions, export controls, defense trade controls and international partnerships; the risk that partner technologies, operational claims or performance data may not be independently verified or may not translate to an integrated commercial solution; and the possibility that the collaboration may not result in a definitive agreement, commercial product or service, customer adoption, revenue or other anticipated benefits.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Swarmer undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in Swarmer's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the caption "Risk Factors" in Swarmer's registration statement and other filings filed with or furnished to the SEC.
Investor Relations Contact: SWMR@gateway-grp.com
Media Relations Contact: media@swarmer.tech
