Musk’s SpaceX to Compete in Pentagon Drone Contest

Published on 23 February 2026 Bloomberg Technology

Summary

SpaceX and its subsidiary xAI are vying in a covert Pentagon competition to develop advanced voice-controlled autonomous drone swarming technology. Bloomberg’s Katrina Manson shares insights on this intriguing technological race with Ed Ludlow on “Bloomberg Tech.”

Read Original Article

Key Insights

What is drone swarming technology?

Drone swarming technology involves fleets of autonomous drones that coordinate collectively to execute missions, translating voice commands into digital instructions for synchronized actions in air or sea environments, often for military applications like battlefield operations.

Sources: [1], [2]

What are the phases of the Pentagon's drone contest?

The six-month competition unfolds in five phases, starting with software development, progressing to real-world testing, target awareness and sharing, and culminating in live operational demonstrations from launch to termination.

Sources: [1], [2]