XAiDEN drones combine into swarms of 100 with AI control

The company Nearthlab (South Korea) has introduced a new generation of autonomous strike drones XAiDEN, which operate in swarms of 10 units. One operator can control 10 such swarms simultaneously – up to 100 drones in total.

The key feature of the system is artificial intelligence, which controls all devices except one. Only one drone in each group receives commands from the operator, the remaining nine interact exclusively with him, working autonomously. After receiving the command, the swarm no longer needs to communicate with the operator or repeaters, and is not susceptible to the influence of electronic warfare.

Purpose and capabilities

According to the information on the company’s website, XAiDEN is designed for joint reconnaissance, autonomous tracking of targets and pinpoint strikes. The drones take off from a compact turret-like installation, where 10 units are stored. After launch, they are divided and perform tasks as part of a swarm.

Nearthlab emphasizes that XAiDEN is designed by default for a standard 60 mm mortar ammunition, which eliminates the need to create special weapons. In the future, it is planned to release drones in a cartridge form factor with the ability to use different types of charges.

The company claims that the success rate of mission completion is “close to 100%”, since even if one drone fails, others can immediately continue the attack and destroy the target.

Tactics and Scaling

On the ground, the drones are stored in a compact installation of 10 units and are ready for immediate launch. According to Defense Express analysts, a scheme is possible in which 100 drones are in the air at the same time, and another 100 are ready to replace them if necessary. Theoretically, this allows one operator to maintain a certain area with the uninterrupted delivery of new drones. However, experts note that such a system can be quite expensive.

The company does not disclose the cost of the devices. However, according to published information, Nearthlab’s revenue from drones amounted to 5.5 billion South Korean won last year. At the current exchange rate, this is about 4 million US dollars (1 dollar ≈ 1390 won).