SALT LAKE CITY, — June 22, 2026 : Palladyne AI Corp. (NASDAQ: PDYN) has been awarded two competitive contracts by the U.S. Army under the Disruptive Applications Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) program to support the research, development, and operational validation of its SwarmOS autonomous software platform and Gremlin-X unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The contracts mark a significant step for the company, transitioning its swarm autonomy technology from evaluation activities into funded operational use. Under the awards, the systems will be tested directly by U.S. Army personnel during field exercises and operational demonstrations.
SwarmOS Designed for Decentralized Autonomous Operations
SwarmOS is Palladyne AI’s edge-based artificial intelligence and collaborative autonomy software stack designed to enable a single operator to command and coordinate a heterogeneous team of autonomous unmanned systems from multiple manufacturers simultaneously.
The software operates on edge hardware and is designed to function without reliance on centralized infrastructure, allowing operations in degraded, denied, intermittent, and limited communications environments. According to the company, the platform is protected by its proprietary patent portfolio and supports cross-platform integration across different unmanned systems.
Dr. Denis Garagic, Chief Technology Officer and Principal Investigator at Palladyne AI, said the primary challenge in autonomous operations is enabling platforms from different manufacturers to work together effectively without depending on vulnerable centralized networks.
He noted that SwarmOS addresses this challenge by allowing autonomous systems to collaborate intelligently while operating in contested environments where communications infrastructure may be disrupted or unavailable.
Gremlin-X Offers Reusable Strike Capability
The second system covered under the contracts is the Gremlin-X UAV, developed by GuideTech and formerly known as Banshee. The aircraft is classified as a low-cost, reusable Group 2 strike UAV and functions as an autonomous loitering munition.
Gremlin-X is designed to provide small and dispersed military units with an affordable means of engaging time-sensitive targets. The system can deliver precision munitions in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited operational environments without requiring advanced communications links.
A key feature of the platform is its recoverable design. If a strike mission is not executed, the UAV can return to its operator for recovery and reuse. This approach reduces operational costs by making the munition, rather than the airframe, the primary recurring expense associated with each mission.
The company says the platform combines attritable characteristics with reusability, providing operational flexibility while maintaining cost efficiency for military formations.
Army Field Evaluations Planned
Under the terms of the contracts, Palladyne AI will deploy SwarmOS and Gremlin-X during a series of live operational evaluations with the U.S. Army.
The first phase of testing will take place during exercises conducted by the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) in Colorado and California. During these events, SwarmOS will support reconnaissance and target acquisition missions using Army-designated platforms.
Operators will control the systems through the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), the military’s widely used command-and-control application that provides situational awareness and battlefield coordination capabilities.
Following the 4ID demonstrations, Palladyne AI will participate in Northern Strike 26-2, one of the Department of Defense’s largest joint training exercises. The event involves more than 9,000 participants from across the U.S. military and partner organizations.
During Northern Strike 26-2, the company plans to demonstrate SwarmOS, IntelliSwarm, and the Gremlin-X UAV in a joint operational environment, providing additional validation of the technologies under realistic military conditions.
Growing Focus on Autonomous Military Systems
The contracts reflect the U.S. Army’s increasing interest in autonomous and collaborative systems capable of supporting distributed operations across complex battlefields. Swarm technologies are viewed as a means to improve reconnaissance, target acquisition, force protection, and precision strike capabilities while reducing operator workload.
According to Palladyne AI, the awards represent a transition from technology evaluation toward direct operational employment by military users.
Doug Dynes, President of Palladyne Aerospace and Defense, said the contracts place the company’s technology directly into the hands of warfighters and create a pathway toward future programs of record.
The announcement also follows recent strategic initiatives by the Utah-based defense technology company, including a partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to support domestic manufacturing of combat-proven loitering munitions in the United States.
Palladyne AI specializes in embodied AI-powered collaborative autonomy solutions, advanced avionics, unmanned systems, precision-manufactured aerospace components, and engineering services for defense and industrial applications. The company views the Army contracts as an important milestone in expanding the operational use of autonomous systems across future military missions.
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