European Commission
European Defence Fund
2023 – 2027
4 M€
Project website
STEALTH Project: Smarter, Safer Drone Swarms for Defence
Rethinking Defence in the Age of Drones
The STEALTH project — short for Swarm Technology for Enhanced Autonomous fLight and Tactical Handling — is an ambitious European initiative aimed at making military drone operations safer, smarter, and more resilient.
Today’s drones play a crucial role in defence: they gather intelligence, monitor threats, and carry out missions in dangerous areas. But there’s a growing challenge — many drones rely on GPS (or GNSS), which can be jammed or disabled by adversaries. When this happens, drones can lose their way or even fail mid-mission.
That’s where STEALTH comes in.
What Is STEALTH All About?
STEALTH is developing autonomous drone swarms that can fly, navigate, and work together even when GPS is blocked or unavailable. These swarms won’t depend on a human pilot for every move. Instead, they’ll use cutting-edge onboard technology to sense their surroundings, stay coordinated, and make decisions together — all without exposing soldiers or requiring uninterrupted radio control.
This new generation of drones could change how defence forces operate in complex and hostile environments.
Why It Matters
Conflicts like the war in Ukraine have shown how important small drones have become on the battlefield — and how vulnerable they are to electronic attacks like GPS jamming. STEALTH addresses this vulnerability by creating drone systems that are:
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Autonomous – able to fly without remote control or GPS.
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Cooperative – flying in swarms where drones work together as a team.
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Resilient – able to complete missions even if individual drones are lost or signals are blocked.
How Does It Work?
The STEALTH system is made up of two layers:
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Core Layer: A group of specialized drones that focus on navigation and communication. They use vision, radio signals, and advanced algorithms to figure out their position and guide the rest of the swarm.
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Service Layer: Drones designed for specific tasks — like surveillance, cargo delivery, or mapping — that rely on the Core Layer to navigate safely and precisely.
By combining their capabilities, the swarm acts like a single intelligent system. If one drone fails, the others adapt, keeping the mission on track.
Real-World Testing
To make sure STEALTH works not just in theory but in practice, the project will run extensive testing:
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In simulated environments that mimic real-world combat zones.
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At test sites in Spain and Germany, with support from European defence ministries.
The goal is to prove the system’s reliability in a variety of military missions — including intelligence gathering, tracking, and supply transport.
A European Effort
STEALTH brings together partners from seven EU countries, including research institutes and innovative tech companies. Together, they’re building a system that strengthens European defence, reduces reliance on foreign technology, and opens doors for future civilian applications of drone swarms.
Looking Ahead
STEALTH isn’t just about technology. It’s about protecting lives, increasing mission success, and giving Europe a strategic edge in modern defence.
By the end of the project, the team aims to deliver a working system that defence forces across the EU can continue to test and evolve — laying the groundwork for the next generation of safe, autonomous, and collaborative drones.