In the Bavarian startup incubator for three-dimensional mobility, they like to take a sporty approach. For the third time already, brigkAIR is inviting innovative tinkerers to compete for a prize of 50,000 euros. And it is directly continuing from where it left off last time. Because once again, the focus of the "Swarm Drone Challenge," launched jointly with the defense technology company MBDA Germany, is to develop solutions for a cooperative swarm of drones.

The Swarm Drone Challenge by brigkAIR and MBDA Germany brings together teams from research and development to test the performance of autonomous drone swarms under realistic conditions. The focus is on how unmanned systems can strategically cooperate to respond flexibly and reliably to unforeseen events.

Participants must master both robust communication structures and coordination across various flight platforms within the swarm – a scenario highly relevant to future search, inspection, or surveillance missions.

Innovative software approaches

The competition follows the well-known „Capture the Flag“ principle: two teams send their autonomous swarms against each other. The challenge is to solve a variety of complex tasks without direct external control. Effective coordination, rapid information processing, and reliable cooperation among different system components are primary success factors. The challenge thus creates a practical testing environment where innovative software approaches for cooperative missions can be tested under real-world conditions.

Applications are possible until November 30, 2025, with the qualification round and final taking place in the first half of 20…