AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swarmer, Inc (“Swarmer”) (NASDAQ: SWMR), a drone autonomy platform company that has supported more than 100,000 real-world combat missions in Ukraine since April 2024, today announced it has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Vectus Air Defense Systems, a company in which Swarmer holds a 20% interest, to manufacture, sell and deploy end-to-end air defense systems in eligible markets, subject to applicable export-control, sanctions, procurement, and other governmental requirements.
Swarmer intends to establish an air defense system manufacturing facility in Poland. Under the memorandum, Vectus has confirmed its intent to purchase and deploy at least 40 Swarmer-built systems in year one and 80 or more in year two following the start of production.
“We intend to manufacture an end-to-end solution that includes radars, cameras, fire control and effectors to target a variety of threats, including newer jet-powered Shahed-type attack drones,” said Alex Fink, Swarmer U.S. CEO and president. “The systems use combat-proven Gatling-type rotary cannons, capable of firing 20mm rounds at a rate of up to 6,000 rounds per minute, as the last line of defense.”
Fink estimates each system will retail at approximately $5 million to $6 million. Gun-based kinetic effectors are intended to significantly reduce the cost per kill compared with multimillion-dollar precision-guided missiles. Historically, drones are much cheaper than the missiles used to intercept them, whereas 20mm ammunition is relatively inexpensive and widely available.
“In my experience, high-powered rotary cannons produce a wall of lead that few aerial threats can survive,” said Erik Prince, who acts as both Vectus’ CEO and Swarmer’s board chairman. “I believe these systems will be in high demand because they are portable, affordable and designed to destroy targets on impact. High-speed enemy drones may outfly an interceptor, but they can’t outfly thousands of 20mm rounds.”
Final quantities, pricing, financing, specifications, and delivery schedules remain subject to definitive agreements.
About Swarmer
Swarmer™ (Nasdaq: SWMR) is a defense technology company that specializes in vendor-agnostic software which allows one operator to intuitively control hundreds of autonomous platforms in real time. Swarmer’s primary mission areas include autonomous swarm coordination, integration of multi-domain unmanned systems and AI-powered autonomy software for distributed operations. Swarmer’s technology has been rigorously validated in real-world kinetic environments and was first deployed in combat operations in Ukraine in April 2024. Since then, it has completed more than 100,000 combat missions, generating terabytes of proprietary data that informs its machine-learning models and enables the replication of advanced pilot performance at scale. Swarmer’s routine use in combat missions generates continuous streams of telemetry, sensor data and operational feedback which are then used to refine performance, increase resilience and accelerate learning. Swarmer has headquarters in Austin, Texas, and maintains operations and teams in Ukraine, Poland and Estonia. For more information, visit www.swarmer.com.
About Vectus Air Defense Systems
Vectus Air Defense Systems provides Air Defense as a Service for sovereign governments and critical infrastructure operators. The company designs, integrates and continuously operates layered air-defense systems under multi-year service agreements, while monitoring evolving threats and upgrading deployed systems as technologies and tactics change. Its mission is to help ensure that critical infrastructure remains operational when disruption is not an option. For more information, visit: https://www.vectusairdefense.com.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements between Swarmer and Vectus; the proposed establishment, timing, financing and operation of manufacturing operations in Poland; the anticipated development, manufacturing, pricing, commercial availability, sales, purchase, deployment, delivery, capabilities and performance of the air defense systems; Vectus' intended purchases including anticipated quantities and timing; potential customer demand, cost savings and market opportunity; Swarmer's product roadmap, commercialization plans, customer adoption, growth strategy and defense technology strategy; and any other statements using words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “designed,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions.
These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: the risk that the nonbinding memorandum of understanding may be terminated or may not result in definitive agreements or binding purchase orders; the risk that Vectus may purchase fewer systems than currently contemplated or none at all; the risk that required financing, permits, regulatory approvals or governmental authorizations may not be obtained or may be subject to conditions; the risk that the proposed manufacturing operations in Poland may be delayed, reduced in scope or not established; the risk that final pricing, quantities, configurations, delivery schedules and other commercial terms may differ from current expectations; the risk that product development, testing, validation, commercial availability, production or deliveries may be delayed or unsuccessful; risks associated with sourcing and integrating radars, cameras, fire-control systems, effectors, ammunition and other third-party components; reliance on partners, suppliers, customers and government stakeholders; technical, operational, cybersecurity, safety and field-performance risks; the risks related to government, defense and international procurement processes; risks related to operating in or supporting customers in active conflict zones, including Ukraine; geopolitical, sanctions, export-control, defense-trade-control and other regulatory risks; competition in the defense technology sector; and the risk that the transactions and relationships described in this press release may not produce the anticipated operational, commercial, technical or strategic benefits.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Swarmer undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in Swarmer’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the caption “Risk Factors” in Swarmer’s registration statement and other filings filed with or furnished to the SEC.
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