Background pattern
TRL 4 Validated · Swarm Autonomy & Anti-Shahed Interceptors

Turn off-the-shelf FPV drones into coordinated swarms.

Bolt-on leader-follower module for standard FPV airframes. UWB relative positioning, zero GNSS reliance, and modular interceptor integration for GPS-denied and jammed EW environments.

The Luftschar swarm module is a leader–follower unit that bolts onto existing FPV drones — no airframe redesign, no new aircraft. Attach it and the drones coordinate themselves: cheap, expendable airframes become a decentralised strike force that flies itself.

UWB relative positioning

A short-range UWB network gives every drone its position within the formation with meter-level accuracy — independent of GNSS availability.

Leader–follower guidance

Followers track the leader through relative UWB measurements. Decentralised mission execution means there is no single point of failure to shoot down.

EW / GPS-denied resilient

Swarm guidance keeps working when GPS is denied or degraded — precisely the condition in which most drone operations fail.

Any FPV drone

bolts onto airframes you already fly

Meter-level

formation accuracy in the air

0 satellites

needed to hold the formation

How it works

From single drone to swarm in four steps

The module closes the loop between cheap airframes and coordinated behaviour — each step works without GNSS.

01

Attach

Bolt the swarm module onto any existing FPV airframe. No redesign, no new drone — the airframes you already buy become swarm nodes.

02

Locate

The UWB mesh measures each drone's position relative to its neighbours — meter-level accuracy with no satellite lock required.

03

Follow

Leader–follower guidance holds formation geometry while the leader flies the mission profile; followers react to relative measurements, not absolute fixes.

04

Execute

Decentralised mission execution under GPS denial and EW pressure — a single-operator human-in-the-loop keeps the swarm on task.

Roadmap

From bench to battlefield — the goal chain

Every step is measured the same way, so what we prove in the lab is what flies in the field.

Done2026 · validated

TRL 4 — simulation core + UWB bench

The swarm logic runs end-to-end in simulation, and a physical UWB bench reproduces the same behaviour on real hardware.

In progressSep 2026

BraveTechEU DefTech Forges — application in

Application submitted to the 2nd edition of the BraveTechEU DefTech Forges call (EUR 120,000 prize per winning team). The swarm module is the product we are taking to the Forge.

Next9–13 Nov 2026 · Germany / Romania

Field-scale swarm trials at the Forge

Live military environment, supervised flight testing and controlled jamming — the same behaviour we measure in the lab, now proven in the field.

Next2027 · pathway opened by the Forge

EDA Phase II Operational Experimentation

Continued path to EDA Phase II — worth up to EUR 750,000 — with national armed forces as end-users: TRL step-up on swarm autonomy, sensor-to-shooter integration and resilient multi-drone coordination.

Goal: field-proven swarm autonomy with national armed forces as end-users
Interceptor subsystems

Anti-Shahed interception

A Shahed-class drone becomes completely invisible in rain, fog or cloud cover — camera-based countermeasures fail, and legacy radar systems are too heavy, too expensive and too power-hungry for counter-drone deployment. Luftschar implements interceptor subsystems built around a miniature onboard radar: all-weather detection and interception at a fraction of the cost.

In development
Autonomous interceptor — slow-speed class

Autonomous drone interceptor for slower targets. The onboard miniature radar provides all-weather terminal guidance against Shahed-class cruise drones at low speed — no pilot required, fire-and-forget engagement in rain, fog or cloud cover.

In development
Manual high-speed quadcopter interceptor

Operator-controlled high-speed quadcopter drone for manual anti-Shahed interception. Fast reaction and a human in the kill chain when time-critical threats demand direct control.

Concept
Shahed-shaped fixed-wing fighter — “anti-Shahed”

Turbojet-powered fixed wing mirroring the threat's own airframe. Current idea: arm it with firearms to turn it into a multi-usage heavy drone platform.

Shared sensor — miniature onboard radar

Miniature onboard radar for the Shahed-interceptors. Optimized for close-range interception missions where weight and power efficiency matter most.

3 W

Power draw · legacy: 45 W

400 m

Detection range · legacy: 800 m

200 g

Total weight · legacy: 800 g

System overview

One system, three layers

Swarm autonomy on top, anti-Shahed interception underneath — integrated into one control system.

Swarm Module
  • UWB relative positioning — meter-level formation accuracy
  • GNSS-independent operation (GPS-denied / jamming resilient)
  • Leader–follower decentralised architecture
  • Bolt-on to existing FPV airframes
  • TRL 4 — simulation + physical UWB bench validated
Interceptor Subsystems
  • Miniature onboard radar — all-weather detection
  • 400 m range · 3 W · 200 g miniature radar payload
  • Autonomous slow-speed engagement mode
  • Manual high-speed quadcopter intercept mode
  • Shahed-shaped fixed-wing fighter (concept)
Integration & C2
  • No airframe replacement — module attaches to stock FPV drones
  • Single-operator human-in-the-loop control
  • Identical measurement approach from bench to field
  • Repeatable, reproducible test results on every build
  • Field validation at BraveTechEU DefTech Forges, Nov 2026

GNSS-denied operation

EW resilient guidance

Bolt-on deployment

Proven bench-to-field

Partners

Built with people who fly and fight

Industry partners in Portugal, the European defence technology community and the end-users who tell us what actually survives contact with the enemy.

Put a swarm on the flight line.

The swarm module is TRL 4 and heading to field-scale trials at the BraveTechEU DefTech Forges. Interceptor subsystems for anti-Shahed operations are in development — talk to us about partnerships, integration or a briefing.

Ukraine · European Defence Technology Partnership