Tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX and its xAI subsidiary are participating in a new secret Pentagon competition to develop voice-controlled drones. write Bloomberg, citing sources.
The agency's interlocutor noted that Musk's companies were among the few chosen to participate in the competition with a prize fund of $100 million, announced in January.
The competition will last six months, the source said, its goal is to create swarm control technologies that will help command multiple drones by voice.
The organizers divided the competition into 5 stages – from software development to testing in real conditions.
Musk: SpaceX will not create drones and combat weapons
A representative of the Pentagon publicly indicated in the announcement of the start of the competition that the captured drones would be used for offensive purposes. He clarified that the interaction between humans and machines “will directly impact the lethality and effectiveness of these systems.”
Let us remember that many large countries are active in this field. In November 2020, China claimed to have successfully launched a swarm of kamikaze drones from the back of a cargo truck.
In February 2025, Iran added the Martyr Bagheri aircraft carrier, designed for drones, to its navy. The ship is capable of housing several squadrons of UAVs, launching them, launching light and fast combat ships, transporting combat and auxiliary helicopters.
In December 2025, the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Gennady Krasnikov, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the development of a unique algorithm for controlling a swarm of drones and robotic systems.
“Decentralized collision avoidance methods in a group of mobile agents. This is important when there is a swarm of drones or many robots. Decentralized control takes place here, a unique algorithm has been developed that allows them to communicate with each other and avoid collisions,” the scientist noted.
According to him, the latest domestic development surpasses all similar products in the world.
In January 2026, Turkish company STM showed a video of a swarm of KARGU FPV drones raiding a fake infantry squad. According to the developer, 20 kamikaze drones “with swarm intelligence” participated in the tests. At the same time, an operator is responsible for managing them.
