Swarm Aero

What Swarm Aero does

Swarm Aero is an aerospace and defense company, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Oxnard, California, that designs and manufactures large-scale unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and the software needed to operate them as coordinated swarms. Its core platform is a Group 5 unmanned aerial system (over 1,320 lbs, capable of 18,000-foot flight altitude) built from the ground up for swarming, paired with a proprietary command-and-control software product called Legion that enables a single operator to control dozens of large UAV assets simultaneously across air, land, and sea domains. Underlying the platform are two proprietary sub-systems: the Universal Swarm Node (sensor mesh plus edge compute that brings cloud capabilities to the airframe) and Collaborative Autonomy (on-aircraft autonomy that executes swarm behaviors in dynamic, contested environments).

The business model combines hardware sales of large UAVs with what is described as subscription/recurring revenue from the Legion swarm software, targeted exclusively at government defense buyers through direct enterprise field sales. Primary customers are the U.S. Armed Forces and U.S. allies, with stated use cases spanning payload delivery in contested environments, detection and tracking of mobile assets, and defense-in-depth missions oriented around Pacific Theater deterrence. Manufacturing is anchored by an 80,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center at Drake Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas, opened February 2026 and designed for production of thousands of large UAVs; propulsion is supplied through a strategic partnership with Honeywell Aerospace using the TPE331 turboprop engine. The company has raised $59 million across a 2023 $22M seed and a March 2026 $35M Series A led by Two Sigma Ventures and Silent Ventures, and operates with 51–100 employees with publicly stated plans to roughly double its aircraft team during 2026.

Name

Swarm Aero

Legal name

Swarm Aero Inc.

Website

https://swarm.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Swarm Aero is an aerospace and defense company developing large-scale Group 5 unmanned aerial vehicle swarms and its Legion command-and-control software for the U.S. Armed Forces and allied militaries, targeting cost-effective autonomous airpower at production scale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military Unmanned Aerial Systems

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Aircraft & Parts (3720), Aircraft (3721)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Autonomous Aerial Platforms (IMABAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aircraft (UAV) (IMABAIAB), Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility) (IMABAFAO), UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure (IMABAIAL)

Keywords

• Unmanned aerial systems
• Swarm command software
• Defense UAV manufacturing
• Autonomous drone swarms
• Group 5 UAS

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxnard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Large UAV Hardware Sales: Sale of large-scale multi-mission Group 5 unmanned aerial vehicles to military customers. The company produces UAVs designed for defense purposes with sense-and-strike capabilities for long-range deployment.
2. Swarm Software (Legion): Command-and-control software license and potentially subscription-based access to Legion swarm coordination software enabling single operators to control dozens of assets across air, land, and sea domains.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Swarm Aero designs, manufactures, and sells large-scale Group 5 unmanned aerial systems (over 1,320 lbs) and its Legion command-and-control software for coordinated UAV swarms. The offering is targeted at the U.S. Department of Defense and allied militaries for defense missions including payload delivery in contested environments, sense-and-strike, mobile asset tracking, and security and defense in depth. The company operates an 80,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, designed for high-volume production of large UAVs.

Product overview

Swarm Aero offers a unified product architecture combining its Legion command-and-control software platform with purpose-built large UAV hardware. The Legion software provides unified command-and-control enabling operators to manage swarms of large UAVs across air, land, and sea domains. This is paired with the company's multi-mission Group 5 UAS aircraft platforms, featuring Universal Swarm Node sensor mesh and edge compute modules, and Collaborative Autonomy systems. The company also recently integrated Honeywell's TPE331 turboprop engine as the propulsion system for its aircraft.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Legion: Command-and-control software that enables operators to manage swarms of UAVs across air, land, and sea domains, allowing single operators to control dozens of assets simultaneously.

Products and services

• Legion Command and Control Software Browser-based, platform-agnostic command-and-control software that enables operators to coordinate swarms of large UAVs across air, land, and sea domains. Mission-Level Autonomy translates user intent into vehicle-level behaviors updated in real time; a single operator can manage dozens of assets simultaneously. Sold to military and defense customers.
• Large-Class Multi-Mission UAS (Group 5) Large-scale multi-mission unmanned aerial system in the Group 5 classification (over 1,320 pounds) with 18,000-foot flight altitude capability and sense-and-strike payload capacity. Designed to deliver comparable operational capability to the MQ-9 Reaper at lower cost. Powered by Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engines. Targeted at U.S. Department of Defense and allied militaries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Single operators can control dozens of UAV assets simultaneously
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Honeywell AerospacecoreTechnology or Integration · 9 June 2026Strategic technology partnership for propulsion systems. Honeywell Aerospace supplies its TPE331 turboprop engine (575 to 1,650 horsepower) as the powerplant for Swarm Aero's large-scale, multi-mission Group 5 UAS. The two companies collaborate across aircraft design, development, maintenance, and operations. First propulsion systems already supplied under initial contract.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Kratos produces the XQ-58 Valkyrie and other Group 5/CCA-class unmanned aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, making it a direct peer in affordable-mass UAS. Kratos shares Swarm Aero's target customer (USAF) and product category (low-cost autonomous UAS).
• Anduril Industries: Anduril builds Lattice command-and-control software and autonomous air platforms (Roadrunner, Fury) aimed at the same 'affordable mass' CCA/Group 5 UAS market as Swarm Aero, with a similar enterprise field-sales motion into DoD. It is the most closely comparable peer in both technology (swarming autonomy + C2) and go-to-market (defense procurement).
• Shield AI: Shield AI develops Hivemind autonomy software and autonomous UAS platforms (V-BAT) for DoD, making it a direct competitor to Swarm's Legion C2 and Group 5 swarming UAS offerings. Their dual hardware + autonomy software play mirrors Swarm Aero's product architecture.
• General Atomics: General Atomics is the incumbent manufacturer of the MQ-9 Reaper — the exact Group 5 UAS platform Swarm Aero is positioning against on cost. They are a direct competitor in the long-endurance ISR/strike UAS procurement lane and a benchmark on what Swarm must displace.

Broad incumbents

• Boeing: Boeing is developing the MQ-28 Ghost Bat and participates in CCA-related programs for the U.S. Air Force and allied militaries. As a Tier-1 prime, it competes broadly in autonomous Group 5 UAS programs where Swarm Aero is bidding.
• Lockheed Martin: Lockheed Martin is a Tier-1 defense prime with CCA/scout program participation and broader UAS/autonomy portfolios. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same procurement dollars Swarm Aero is pursuing.
• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman is a Tier-1 defense prime that builds the Global Hawk and other large UAS, and has internal CCA-adjacent programs. It is a broad incumbent competitor in autonomous aerospace for the same DoD customers Swarm Aero targets.

Emerging players

• Helsing: Helsing is a European defense-tech company building AI-driven autonomous systems (including air and maritime) for NATO militaries, comparable to Swarm Aero in mission-level autonomy and software-defined defense offerings. Useful as a peer for the recurring-software-on-hardware revenue thesis.
• Skydio: Skydio supplies autonomous sUAS (small drones) to defense and federal customers and is increasingly competing for DoD autonomy software contracts. Comparable on autonomous UAS/autonomy stack, though at a different (smaller) airframe class than Swarm Aero's Group 5 platforms.
• Saronic: Saronic builds autonomous surface vessels for the U.S. Navy with a similar 'affordable mass' thesis and production-at-scale manufacturing approach as Swarm Aero. While maritime vs. aerial, it is a closely comparable emerging defense-tech peer in capital intensity, manufacturing scale, and DoD GTM motion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/swarmaero
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swarm-aero

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swarm Aero