As operational environments grow more contested, adversaries increasingly employ electronic warfare, signal denial and spoofing techniques that undermine reliance on satellite-based navigation systems. Ensuring that drones can operate safely, reliably and autonomously in GNSS-denied and degraded environments has therefore emerged as a critical capability requirement for European armed forces.
At the same time, the growing complexity of operational theatres calls for cooperative and scalable solutions, such as autonomous drone swarms, capable of sharing information, adapting to dynamic conditions and maintaining mission effectiveness with limited human intervention. Achieving this level of autonomy requires robust multi-sensor integration, intelligent data fusion and resilient navigation technologies that can function independently of external infrastructure. Addressing these challenges is essential to strengthening Europe’s defence readiness, technological sovereignty and alignment with EU capability development priorities—forming the strategic context in which the SWARMER project is positioned.
SWARMER is a four-year European Defence Fund (EDF) technological challenge project focused on advancing autonomous drone swarms capable of operating in GNSS-denied and contested environments.
The project develops innovative solutions for independent navigation and coordinated swarm behaviour, integrating multiple onboard sensors through advanced intelligent fusion techniques. By enabling drones to perceive, adapt and cooperate without reliance on external positioning systems, SWARMER addresses key operational challenges in complex and dynamic scenarios.
SWARMER directly contributes to the EU’s Defence Capability Development Priorities, particularly in Ground Combat, Military Mobility, Infrastructure Protection and Airborne Command, strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty and defence readiness.
The project is funded under the EDF topic “Multi-sensor integration for robust autonomous drone navigation – Participation in a technological challenge” and brings together a consortium of nine partners from seven European countries, combining expertise from industry, research organisations and technology developers. In addition to SWARMER, the technological challenge includes an organiser and three participating teams.
The SWARMER project is funded by European Commission through the European Defence Fund. More about this fund: defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu
The project is funded under the EDF-2024-LS-RA-CHALLENGE-SENS-RADNP – Multi-sensor integration for robust autonomous drone navigation – Participation in a technological challenge.
A technological challenge constitutes a structured approach to the organisation of R&D activities, wherein multiple research and development teams pursue a defined technological objective within a standardised testing environment established expressly for this purpose.
Such challenges are particularly well-suited to the investigation of complex systems, notably those involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, as they facilitate the objective and comparable assessment of system performance.
In the framework of a technological challenge, the organiser, in collaboration with the participating R&D teams, formulates common experimental protocols and subsequently provides the testing environment, enabling teams to evaluate their systems in accordance with these established protocols.
More about technological challenge:
The organising consortium is supported under the project ORDEAL. Four participating teams are supported under EDF projects: NAVISENSE-X, ORIGAMI, SNADE, and SWARMER.
