Swarmbotics AI has secured a U.S. Army contract to develop swarming, attritable small unmanned ground vehicles (sUGVs) for the 1st Cavalry Division.
The contract follows Swarmbotics’ performance at last year’s xTechOverwatch competition, where its autonomous ground robotics solution was evaluated against dozens of small business innovators. Designed to operate in coordinated swarms, the sUGVs are intended to create multiple tactical dilemmas for adversaries at a fraction of the cost of traditional manned systems, supporting the Army’s focus on scalable force multiplication.
As part of the assessment process, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division evaluated autonomous ground and airborne capabilities, with testing facilitated by the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command in coordination with key stakeholders.
Launched in April 2025, xTechOverwatch is an Army innovation initiative aimed at accelerating autonomous air and ground systems through partnerships with small businesses specializing in artificial intelligence, sensors, and robotics. The competition attracted more than 630 submissions, from which 40 finalists were selected to demonstrate systems capable of terrain adaptation, autonomous overwatch, and mission execution with minimal human input.
Swarmbotics was among several winners showcasing advanced autonomy aligned with Army modernization goals. Other selected firms included FieldAI Federal, recognized for its GPS-denied autonomy stack, Allen Control Systems for counter-UAS overwatch platforms, and AZAK for resilient robotics optimized for complex terrain. Winning teams are expected to integrate prototypes into Army training environments from January 2026 through July 2027.
