NSWC Crane Launches Silent Swarm 2026 Initiative to Advance Electromagnetic and Uncrewed Warfare

The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division has officially issued its notice for the upcoming Silent Swarm 2026 event—an advanced technology demonstration aimed at integrating electromagnetic warfare (EMW), uncrewed systems (UxS), and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) for near-peer conflict scenarios. The initiative reflects growing urgency within the U.S. defense community to field distributed, resilient capabilities that can operate in contested electromagnetic environments.

Silent Swarm: A Convergent Technology Experiment

Silent Swarm is a recurring technology experimentation event led by NSWC Crane in collaboration with special operations forces (SOF), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), DARPA, and other DoD stakeholders. The program focuses on rapidly evaluating emerging technologies relevant to multi-domain operations (MDO), particularly those involving electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO), counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), autonomous platforms, and electronic warfare payloads.

The 2026 iteration will be held at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Indiana—a key site for urban and subterranean warfare simulation. The scenario-driven environment allows participants to test technologies under realistic conditions including GPS-denied zones, RF-contested spaces, and complex terrain.

According to NSWC Crane’s official announcement on SAM.gov dated May 29, 2024 (source), the event will focus on “innovative capabilities that support distributed operations in contested environments,” with emphasis on modularity, autonomy at the edge, spectrum agility, and low-signature operation.

Core Technology Areas of Interest

The Silent Swarm 2026 notice outlines several priority areas for technology submissions:

• Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO): Tools that enable detection, characterization, exploitation or denial of adversarial RF activity. This includes real-time spectrum sensing, cognitive EW techniques using AI/ML algorithms for dynamic response.
• C-UAS Capabilities: Detection and defeat solutions against Group 1–3 unmanned aerial systems using kinetic or non-kinetic methods such as directed energy or RF jamming/spoofing.
• Autonomous Systems: Airborne or ground-based uncrewed platforms capable of navigation in GPS-denied environments with onboard processing for mission autonomy.
• SIGINT/ELINT Payloads: Low-SWaP sensors capable of intercepting communications or radar emissions while remaining passive and undetectable.
• Tactical Networking & Comms: Resilient mesh networks supporting low-latency data exchange between dispersed nodes under EM interference conditions.

The program encourages modular open system architectures (MOSA) to ensure rapid integration across platforms. Technologies should demonstrate TRL ≥5 by early FY26 to be considered viable candidates for field experimentation.

Operational Relevance: Preparing for Near-Peer Conflict

The strategic context behind Silent Swarm is clear: preparing U.S. forces—especially SOF elements—for distributed operations against technologically sophisticated adversaries such as China or Russia. In these scenarios, reliance on centralized command-and-control structures or vulnerable satellite links is untenable. Instead, forces must operate semi-independently with local decision-making enabled by onboard AI/ML processing and robust EM situational awareness.

This aligns closely with ongoing Pentagon doctrine shifts including Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) and Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO). By focusing on EM maneuverability and autonomous systems integration at the tactical edge, Silent Swarm helps bridge lab-to-field transitions critical to outpacing adversaries’ anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategies.

Industry Participation & Submission Timeline

The current notice invites industry partners—especially non-traditional defense contractors—to submit white papers describing their proposed technologies no later than July 12th, 2024. Selected vendors may be invited to participate in a government-sponsored assessment phase followed by live demonstration during the FY26 exercise window.

This model mirrors successful rapid acquisition pathways such as SOFWERX Tech Sprints or DIU Commercial Solutions Openings. By leveraging Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) or Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), NSWC Crane aims to accelerate promising capabilities into operational prototypes without traditional procurement delays.

The government also encourages submissions from academia or federally funded research centers working on novel applications of AI in EW signal classification or autonomous decision-making under uncertainty—two areas where commercial innovation is outpacing legacy defense primes.

A Track Record of Innovation Under Pressure

This is not NSWC Crane’s first venture into convergent tech experimentation. Previous iterations of Silent Swarm have tested hybrid EW/UAS payloads capable of jamming enemy comms while conducting ISR; man-portable SIGINT kits deployable by SOF teams; and AI-enabled RF mapping tools that visualize spectrum use across urban terrain in near-real time.

The facility’s unique role within Naval Sea Systems Command as a center of excellence for electronic warfare gives it access to classified emitter libraries, red team aggressors simulating peer threats like PLA jammers or Russian SIGINT drones—and most importantly—a user community deeply engaged in combat-relevant feedback loops from Ukraine-style conflicts where EM dominance often determines survivability.

Conclusion: Toward a Smarter Electromagnetic Battlespace

The launch of Silent Swarm 2026 underscores a growing recognition within DoD that future battlefields will be won not just through firepower but through control—or denial—of information flows across the electromagnetic spectrum. As adversaries invest heavily in GPS spoofing drones, long-range jammers, low-cost decoys and AI-enabled targeting tools—the U.S. must respond with agile platforms able to sense-decide-act faster than their counterparts under degraded conditions.

If successful, Silent Swarm could help seed an ecosystem of interoperable tools—from micro-drones with passive SIGINT payloads to self-healing tactical networks—that give American warfighters an asymmetric edge where it matters most: inside contested airspace saturated with noise but starved for clarity.