Anduril Australia has announced a significant advancement in autonomous drone coordination technology, demonstrating a new AI-based system that enables large-scale multi-UAV swarming with minimal human input. The breakthrough could reshape how unmanned aerial vehicles are deployed in ISR and contested airspace operations by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and allied militaries.
Swarm Autonomy at Scale: The Core Innovation
The centerpiece of the announcement is an AI-driven command-and-control (C2) framework capable of orchestrating dozens of heterogeneous UAVs in real-time. According to Anduril Australia’s October 2025 release and corroborated by multiple defense sources including Defense Connect and The Strategist, the system allows drones to autonomously assign roles, share sensor data, deconflict flight paths, and adapt mission parameters dynamically — all without requiring constant operator oversight.
This level of autonomy is enabled by onboard edge processing combined with mesh-networked communications. The drones operate as a distributed intelligence network rather than relying on centralized control nodes vulnerable to jamming or latency. The architecture supports both fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAVs and can integrate legacy platforms via software-defined interfaces.
Live Demonstrations in Complex Terrain
Anduril’s new swarming system was recently tested during live exercises at a classified location in regional Queensland. Over two dozen UAVs — including quadcopters and small fixed-wing platforms — were deployed simultaneously across varied terrain emulating contested environments. Key mission profiles included:
- Wide-area ISR coverage using cooperative EO/IR sensing
- Dynamic target tracking with handoffs between assets
- Formation flying through obstacle-dense environments
- Adaptive rerouting after simulated GPS/GNSS denial events
The tests reportedly involved limited operator interventions via tablet-based interfaces. Operators could issue high-level intent (“search this grid,” “track target X”) while the swarm autonomously executed the tasking. This approach aligns with emerging ADF doctrine emphasizing human-on-the-loop rather than human-in-the-loop control for scalable autonomy.
Tactical Implications for Manned-Unmanned Teaming
This technology directly supports Australia’s broader push into manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), particularly programs like the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat (formerly Loyal Wingman). While Ghost Bat serves as a high-end autonomous wingman platform for crewed fighters like the F-35A or Super Hornet, Anduril’s swarm system addresses lower-tier UAV integration for ISR saturation, decoy operations, or electronic warfare support.
The ability to field dozens of semi-expendable drones under unified C2 control offers several tactical advantages:
- Saturation of enemy air defenses through decoys or multi-axis ISR feeds
- Resilience against EW attacks via decentralized swarm logic
- Rapid re-tasking in dynamic battlespaces without full comms dependency
- Cost-effective mass compared to traditional UAV fleets
This aligns with AUKUS Pillar II objectives around advanced autonomous systems and could feed into Five Eyes interoperability efforts on distributed sensor networks.
Industry Context and Competitive Landscape
The breakthrough puts Anduril Australia at the forefront of autonomous C2 development in the Indo-Pacific region. While U.S.-based companies like Shield AI (V-BAT), Kratos (XQ-58 Valkyrie), and DARPA’s OFFSET program have demonstrated similar capabilities in recent years, few have achieved operational demonstrations at this scale outside controlled test ranges.
Australia’s defense innovation ecosystem — including DSTG’s Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC and partnerships under the Defence Innovation Hub — has prioritized sovereign autonomy capabilities since at least 2018. This latest milestone reflects growing maturity in integrating AI-enabled autonomy into deployable systems.
The announcement also comes amid increased ADF investment in drone-centric force structures under Plan Jericho and Army’s LAND129 Phase 3 program for tactical UAVs. Integration pathways between these programs remain unclear but likely given shared doctrinal goals around distributed lethality and persistent surveillance.
Challenges Ahead: EW Resilience and Ethical Constraints
Despite its promise, fielding large-scale drone swarms raises critical challenges — particularly around electronic warfare resilience, rules of engagement (ROE), and ethical use of autonomous systems.
- EW vulnerability: While mesh networking improves resilience over traditional links like Link-16 or SATCOM-dependent C2 chains, adversaries such as China or Russia possess advanced RF jamming capabilities that could still disrupt swarm cohesion.
- Civilian safety: Operating semi-autonomous drones over populated areas requires robust fail-safe mechanisms to prevent collateral damage or loss-of-control incidents.
- Lethal autonomy limits: Current ADF policy prohibits fully autonomous lethal action without human authorization. Therefore these systems are primarily focused on ISR/EW roles unless ROE evolves significantly.
The path to operational deployment will likely involve phased trials under controlled conditions alongside legal reviews within Australia’s Department of Defence Ethics Advisory Panel framework.
