The SWARM project eliminates 'the tether of battery swaps and constant recharging to provide an unblinking eye on the target.'
US firms Reach Power and Gambit have announced their joint SWARM project has received funding from the Department of War’s Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund .
The new project combines wireless power beaming with AI-driven swarm intelligence to enable small drone fleets that operate on a constant basis without needing to land or swap batteries. According to the teams behind the project, it untethers drones from the limitations of limited battery charges, removing the need to manually swap batteries. This will enable 24/7 air time, allowing uninterrupted operations.
, larger batteries increase cost and weight, undermining the key benefit of drones—the fact that they are low-cost, expendable assets. The logistics of large drone fleets is complex and often cost-prohibitive. Operators must install, remove, charge, and swap batteries for each drone before and after every flight. In contested areas, resupply becomes hazardous and contributes to reported drone effectiveness rates as low as 30 percent in active combat.
SWARM aims to tackle these constraints by integrating Reach Power’s wireless power-beaming technology with Gambit’s autonomous systems software. Drones fly to designated waypoints to receive targeted radio-frequency energy mid-mission without landing or human assistance. Gambit’s AI allows each aircraft to monitor its battery level, mission requirements, and charging opportunities, then adjust routes and behaviors in real time. The combined system lets the swarm self-manage energy distribution, maintain continuous presence, and reduce reliance on ground support.
Chris Davlantes, founder and CEO of Reach Power, emphasized the importance of finding solutions to the limits of battery-operated fleets.
“Drone swarms are only as persistent as their batteries. SWARM changes the equation,” he noted.
“When a drone can recharge itself in the air without human intervention, the full potential of autonomy and swarming is unleashed from battery limits. ” Josh Giegel, CEO of Gambit, meanwhile, highlighted the operational impact the new system could have for modern drone operations.
“Today’s limitation isn’t just endurance, it’s the operational burden that comes with it,” he said. “By enabling systems to manage energy and coordinate behavior autonomously, SWARM allows operators to focus on the mission instead of sustaining the systems. ” The SWARM project targets missions that require sustained coverage, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance , counter-uncrewed aircraft systems , border security, air defense, and force protection.
Reach Power develops RF-based wireless charging solutions for drones, sensors, and robots that eliminate cables and battery logistics across defense and industrial sectors. Gambit, meanwhile, provides AI software for coordinated, adaptive behavior in heterogeneous robotic teams operating in complex environments. OECIF serves as the US Department of War’s primary program for investing in operational energy innovations, with power beaming listed as a priority under demand-reduction efforts.
The SWARM award reflects growing military interest in technologies that extend small-drone endurance while lowering logistical risks.
“OECIF’s early investment in power beaming is yielding significant strategic dividends as the battlefield shifts toward autonomous operations,” said Christopher DePuma, Operational Energy and Power Projection Portfolio Lead. “By enabling remote sensors and drones to maintain persistent ISR, this technology unlocks their true potential—eliminating the tether of battery swaps and constant recharging to provide an unblinking eye on the target.
”Chris Young is a journalist, copywriter, blogger and tech geek at heart who’s reported on the likes of the Mobile World Congress, written for Lifehack, The Culture Trip, Flydoscope and some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including NEC and Thales, about robots, satellites and other world-changing innovations.
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