AV and Applied Intuition team up to bring collaborative autonomy to new Mayhem 10 drone

AeroVironment and Applied Intuition are teaming up to produce a drone capable of autonomously operating in swarms or “hunter-killer” teams under the direction of one operator, the companies announced Wednesday, marketing the collaboration to the Army’s Launched Effects program.

AV, best known for its Switchblade suite of loitering munitions, launched a new unmanned aerial system product line in April by unveiling the Mayhem 10. Now, Applied Intuition will add its Acuity ISR/Strike software to the drone so teams of Mayhem 10 platforms can operate autonomously, the companies said.

Billed as a “highly adaptable” launched effects system, the Mayhem 10 has the ability to switch from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads to electronic warfare, communications and precision strike missions without having to change the air vehicle, according to AV. 

“We built it as an open, modular system from the beginning,” said Brian Young, senior vice president of loitering munitions at AV, according to a press release shared with DefenseScoop in advance of the official announcement Wednesday.

“That allows us to integrate multiple payloads like EO/IR sensors, electronic warfare packages, communications relays, and lethal effects onto a single platform,” he added. “It also allows us to bring in third-party software and autonomy much more quickly, treating capability more like an application than a fixed feature set.” 

The Mayhem system can carry a 10-pound payload and fly more than 60 miles, according to the company, which added that the platform can be assembled and launched in less than five minutes. Its endurance is nearly an hour, AV says, and the drone is intended to operate in GPS-denied environments, resistant to jamming.

After “months of integration efforts” across various locations, company officials said the systems were paired during a recent demonstration, but the release did not disclose when or where it occurred. The companies validated the integration by running the systems through collaborative autonomy missions and demonstrated multiple Mayhem 10 drones collaborating against different threats, according to the release.

“Our Acuity ISR/Strike software brings collaborative autonomy to Mayhem 10, rapidly delivering next-generation capabilities through platform-agnostic software with operator oversight,” Jason Brown, general manager of Applied Intuition, said in the release. “Acuity ISR/Strike enables intelligent swarms that share targeting data in real time, dynamically adjust to threats, and execute missions that would be impossible for individual platforms.” 

Applied Intuition touts its software as being able to “perceive, decide and act collaboratively in contested environments with operator oversight.” The company, which is focused on applying artificial intelligence into physical machines such as freight trucks, construction vehicles, agricultural harvesters and other military equipment, for example, is valued at $15 billion, according to the press release.

AV, which recently received a $500 million contract for counter-drone technology, is also known for its high-energy laser system called the LOCUST. The company bucked revenue estimates after reporting record fourth-quarter numbers earlier this month, surging its shares.

A spokesperson for Applied Intuition declined to comment on the financial arrangement between the two companies and whether the collaboration was part of an existing contract to support the Army’s Launched Effects program or if the system’s production was dependent on the service’s interest. A spokesperson for AV did not answer the questions by publication.