Swarm Defense Technologies
"One soldier. The power of a thousand."
Auburn Hills, Michigan maker of Kiwi attack drones and swarm-control software; won a 4,000-unit, $25M+ Drone Dominance order in September 2026.
Swarm Defense Technologies is a Michigan company that designs and manufactures small uncrewed aircraft and the software used to fly them in coordinated swarms for military users. It builds its aircraft at a 40,000 square foot facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and states a production capacity of more than 72,000 units per year, with all aircraft described as US-built and NDAA-compliant. Kyle Dorosz is chief executive and Adam Wright, a former Navy SEAL, is president.
The company grew out of Firefly Drone Shows, an American manufacturer of light-show drones that has developed swarming technology since 2017 and has built more than 20,000 swarming drones. The two companies share engineering and manufacturing resources in Auburn Hills. Swarm Defense cites more than 25,000 flight hours across swarm operations and testing, and swarms of over 2,000 drones flown by a single operator.
Its main aircraft is Kiwi, a Group 1 multirotor sold principally in a one-way attack configuration and also configurable for ISR, as an airborne communications relay and as a reusable precision dropper. Kiwi weighs 3.6 kg empty with a maximum takeoff weight of 11.8 kg, cruises at 108 km/h with a 193 km/h dash, and has a published range of 22.5 km with a 2 kg payload or 16 km with 4 kg. It supports GPS-denied navigation over RF or fiber-optic links and ships 50 units to a Pelican case. The Swarm Threat Emulator (STE) is a reusable 963 g target drone system with a 25 km range used to train counter-UAS teams; the company states STE systems have been delivered to the US Navy and US Air Force, awarded by the US Army, and used during Operation Flytrap 4.5 with coalition forces in Europe.
Software is the second product line. Strike Deck lets one operator command a formation of FPV drones with map-based target designation and automated path deconfliction, while keeping engagement authorization with the operator. Swarm Studio is the mission planning and orchestration engine behind all of the company's platforms, supporting 3D flight paths, mission templates, multi-operator planning, over-the-air fleet updates and control of PX4-compatible aircraft over MAVLink, with up to 1,000 drones per operator.
In February 2026 the Department of War listed Swarm Defense among the vendors invited to Phase I of its Drone Dominance Program, and the company announced selection as one of 25 companies in the 1.1 billion US dollar program. On 22 September 2026, following the Gauntlet II evaluation at Fort Carson, Colorado, it announced a prototype delivery order for 4,000 Kiwi one-way attack drones worth at least 25 million US dollars including munitions. It also holds a Phase I prototype agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit under the Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System project.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Kiwi
Low-cost US-built Group 1 multirotor for one-way attack, ISR, comms relay or precision-drop missions.
Swarm Threat Emulator
Reusable target-drone swarm system with ground control and Swarm Studio for counter-UAS training.
Strike Deck
Ground control software letting one operator command a formation of FPV drones with operator-held engagement authority.
Swarm Studio
Mission planning and swarm orchestration engine with real-time path deconfliction for PX4-compatible drones.
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Contact Swarm Defense Technologies
WEBSITE
https://www.swarmdefense.comPHONE
+1 248-461-6615HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
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Primary Role
Manufacturer
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Primary Region
North America
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