How AI Is Powering U.S. Navy Drone Swarms for Next-Gen Maritime Operations

U.S. Navy Employs AI to Coordinate Drone Swarm Operations

Drones have become a critical asset in maritime combat, as demonstrated in recent conflicts in the Black Sea and the Red Sea. Leading naval forces are advancing drone technology across air, surface, and subsurface domains, focusing on how to coordinate these assets effectively as swarms.

In the United States, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is leveraging artificial intelligence to plan the deployment and actions of unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater systems simultaneously. Their new software, called Optimized Cross Domain Swarm Sensing (OCDSS), supports operational planners in configuring drone swarms to meet specific mission goals.

OCDSS runs thousands of simulations to predict how various unmanned platforms perform together. This capability enables planners to test different drone and sensor combinations quickly, improving mission success rates. The software was put to the test during the NSWC Port Hueneme Coastal Trident exercise last year.

OCDSS in Action

• Simulates interactions among aerial, surface, and subsurface drones
• Predicts swarm effectiveness against various operational scenarios
• Supports rapid decision-making for unmanned mission planning

The lead developer of OCDSS received recognition from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 2025 for advancing swarm autonomy, and the team earned a command-level award for their work.

Supporting Future Naval Unmanned Systems

This software aligns with the Navy’s increasing investment in unmanned systems at sea. It complements efforts like the Defense Innovation Unit’s Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary (PRIME) Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle program. PRIME focuses on producing affordable, attritable small vessels designed to pursue and engage target ships autonomously.

Unlike current drone boats, such as those used by Ukraine, which require human operators controlling them via satellite links, the PRIME program aims to develop vessels capable of operating in coordinated groups autonomously. These vessels will adapt to dynamic target movements and maintain mission effectiveness even if communication with a control center is lost.

The goal is to create a software-driven collaborative intercept capability, enhancing the swarm’s ability to execute complex maneuvers and intercept hostile vessels without continuous human input.

For professionals in operations, understanding how AI-driven planning tools like OCDSS enable effective unmanned swarm deployment can improve mission coordination and resource allocation. As unmanned maritime systems evolve, integrating AI for operational planning will be essential for maintaining tactical advantages at sea.

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