Palladyne AI receives U.S. Air Force contract to advance swarming capabilities for integrated cross-domain operations

Palladyne AI, a developer of artificial intelligence software for robotic platforms in the defense and commercial sectors, announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to solve one of the most persistent challenges in modern defense operations - how to make different autonomous systems work together as one coordinated team.

Palladyne AI said that the “Hierarchical Adaptive Networked Game-Theoretic Integration of Multiple Echelons (HANGTIME)” contract will address this need.

HANGTIME to utilize SwarmOS platform

“Our collaboration with AFRL showcases what’s next for autonomous operations,” said Ben Wolff, president and CEO, Palladyne AI. “This isn’t about replacing humans - it’s about giving them sharper, faster insight. By connecting satellite, aerial and ground systems using the patented SwarmOS embodied AI platform as a foundational technology, we’re helping the warfighter make better decisions in real time and stay one step ahead on the battlefield.”

Today, drones, ships and satellites often operate largely independently, limiting how quickly warfighters can see and respond to threats. HANGTIME will utilize Palladyne AI’s patented SwarmOS software platform - the defense variant of the Palladyne Pilot embodied AI software - as the baseline technology to bridge that gap, connecting disparate systems so they can share intelligence, adapt to changing conditions and act in sync across domains, including space, air, maritime and land.

“The HANGTIME effort represents a critical step in multi-domain autonomy for coordinated execution in challenging environments,” said Caleb Williams, program manager, AFRL/RIEA.

By integrating satellites for the first time, Palladyne AI said that this project also extends its technology from the ground to orbit, enabling faster, more informed decision-making and coordinated mission execution, turning tactical commanders into strategic commanders by giving them more cross-domain intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities than ever before.

“The HANGTIME project is a breakthrough that unites high-altitude assets and situational unmanned systems into one coordinated sensor network - delivering a major advantage for the defense industry,” said Dr. Denis Garagic, CTO, Palladyne AI. “For the first time, a single AI framework can coordinate assets across multiple domains, including satellites. That means these systems can now think and act together as a team, sharing what they see and learning as conditions change.”