Berlin, 11 June 2026 – The first ever live competition for autonomous drone swarms at the ILA has crowned a winner: Team FLYING ALGORITHMS from Abu Dhabi. The Swarm Drone Challenge (SDC), a collaboration between MBDA in Germany and brigkAIR, took place in the ILA Drone Pavilion in front of an expert jury and a large crowd of visitors.

• Team FLYING ALGORITHM prevailed in the final of the Swarm Drone Challenge and won prize money of €50,000.
• The challenge consists of a ‘Capture the Flag’ scenario in which two teams, each with two to five drones, compete against one another and solve tactical tasks completely autonomously.
• The aim of the challenge is to identify and further develop innovative approaches in the fields of autonomous systems, swarm technologies, resilient communication and AI-based tactics.

Through the SDC, MBDA in Germany aims to engage with innovative teams and technological approaches at an early stage. 
In addition to the prize money, the ILA venue offers the teams one of the largest possible stages in the aerospace and defence sector, and thus an ideal platform for networking, visibility and potential follow-up collaborations.

The challenge comprised a development, exchange and competition phase, including qualifiers and the final. 
Teams from 11 nations, ranging from India to Canada, took part in the international competition. Participants ranged from students and developers to start-ups and established teams from research institutions.

Under the patronage of Dr Reinhard Brandl, Member of the German Bundestag, an expert jury assessed the degree of innovation, technical implementation, tactical performance and operational relevance of the various solutions during the SDC final. In addition to a  fast-forward and precision  approach,  FLYING ALGORITHMS impressed above all with a particularly strategic methodology. 

Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Nuding, Senior Vice President Engineering Germany & WS International Cooperation:

“The Swarm Drone Challenge exceeded our expectations this year. The high quality of the participating teams, their innovative spirit, and the speed with which they developed and demonstrated new solutions for swarm algorithms were impressive. The final at the ILA provided a unique platform for this and impressively demonstrated how important such events are for showcasing innovation and fostering talent. We would like to extend our special thanks to our partner brigkAIR, who contributed significantly to the success of the challenge, to the city of Ingolstadt, which plays an important role in supporting startups, to the BDLI for providing the stage, and to our distinguished jury, who assessed the final match.
Together, we have sent a strong signal for the future of technological innovation in the defense sector.”

Prof. Dr Georg Rosenfeld, Managing Director of brigk/brigkAIR:

"As brigk – the Ingolstadt region’s digital start-up hub – we are proud to be hosting the Swarm Drone Challenge 2026 in partnership with MBDA Germany through our division brigkAIR, which specialises in drone technology and dual-use applications. The direct exchange between start-ups and established industry leaders that this event fosters promotes innovation and represents a win-win situation for all involved. 
We would like to thank MBDA warmly for the trust they have placed in us 
and the excellent collaboration.”

About MBDA 
MBDA is a multinational European group and a world-leading provider of complex weapon systems. The company plays a key role in the defence of nations. Founded in the spirit of international cooperation, MBDA, with its more than 20,000 employees, is committed to the sovereignty of its home countries and allied nations worldwide. MBDA is the only European group capable of developing and manufacturing complex weapon systems that meet all current and future operational requirements of the three military branches (land, sea and air). MBDA’s shareholders are Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%).

About brigkAIR
brigkAIR is the initiative of the brigk Digital Incubator in Ingolstadt specialising in three-dimensional mobility. brigkAIR connects start-ups, industry, research and public sector stakeholders to develop and implement innovations in the fields of drones, autonomous systems and advanced air mobility.
In addition, start-ups and project teams find optimal test environments here, as well as highly specialised technological expertise and market know-how relating to autonomous aircraft of all kinds, along with the associated business models and services.