DoD tests low‑SWaP processors for swarms

Small onboard processors are the chips that let a drone think for itself without waiting for a radio link. The Pentagon is now budgeting around that idea at scale. (defensescoop.com) On April 21, Pentagon budget officials said the fiscal 2027 request includes $53.6 billion for autonomy, drone platforms and contested logistics, plus $21 billion for munitions and counter-drone systems. (defensescoop.com) (breakingdefense.com) Officials said the money would run through the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, or DAWG, which replaces the earlier Replicator branding and is already testing autonomy tools with companies. (breakingdefense.com) Low size, weight and power hardware matters because a swarm drone cannot carry a server rack. It needs processors that can run navigation, sensing and task-sharing on the aircraft, often with weak communications and tight battery limits. (darpa.mil) (defenseone.com) That operating model is showing up in Pentagon swarm work already. Defense Innovation Unit awards announced in November 2024 called for software to coordinate hundreds or thousands of uncrewed systems across multiple domains. (defenseone.com) L3Harris said in February 2025 that government-managed tests had already let one operator control multiple drones across vehicle types, with a goal of scaling to hundreds and eventually thousands. (defenseone.com) ZenaTech is one of the smaller companies trying to fit into that procurement shift. Its ZenaDrone IQ Nano, launched for U.S. defense applications in June 2025, is a compact indoor drone pitched for GPS-denied warehouses, armories and search-and-rescue work. (zenatech.com) In February 2026, the company said it had tested four IQ Nano drones flying simultaneously and independently in a GPS-denied warehouse simulation while scanning barcodes on separate flight paths. (marketscreener.com) The Pentagon’s own paperwork points in the same direction. A September 27, 2024 memo said Replicator 1 focused on “attritable autonomy,” while Replicator 2 shifted to countering small uncrewed aerial systems at critical installations and force concentrations. (defense.gov) Procurement is also tightening around approved parts and cyber checks, not just airframes. Defense Innovation Unit’s February 2025 Blue UAS refresh selected 23 platforms and 14 components or capabilities for verification and cybersecurity review. (diu.mil) That means the near-term race is not only about who builds a drone. It is also about who can deliver the onboard compute, autonomy software and compliant components that let many cheap drones act together when links are jammed or delayed. (breakingdefense.com) (diu.mil)