Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

Today, drones are used in both a civilian and military context, a swarm being a group of autonomous drones which are partly controlled by an operator. Swarms are a concept that is still in the research stage and previous research has consisted of how a swarm will communicate with the operator and how the swarm will work technically. However, the problem with the research available today is that it largely lacks the military connection. Hence, this study has aimed to investigate how the Armed Forces want to use swarms in the context of reconnaissance missions. The questions posed were, how do personnel within the Armed Forces want to plan swarm missions? What behaviors and capabilities do Armed Forces personnel want a swarm to possess? How do Armed Forces personnel want to receive information from swarms? Empirical data were collected by conducting three interviews with three individuals employed by the Armed Forces. The empirical data was then analyzed using qualitative content analysis where the responses were divided into smaller groups and sub-groups.  The study resulted in tables of desired abilities and behaviors that can be used in later research to create a real swarm system.