Applied Intuition announced a partnership with AV (FKA AeroVironment) to integrate its Acuity ISR/Strike swarming software into AV's Mayhem 10 loitering munition, enabling autonomous collaborative hunter-killer and swarm operations in contested environments1.
AV said the partnership "directly supports" the Army's Launched Effects program, which is "designed to autonomously or semi-autonomously deliver effects as a single LE or as a member of a team". A recent demonstration showed multiple Mayhem 10 launched effects systems synchronizing, swarming, and adapting to different threats under the control of a single operator2.
Applied Intuition, described as a $15B autonomy software startup, builds software that enables launched effects and other unmanned systems to perceive, decide, and act collaboratively in contested environments with operator oversight. The company said its Acuity ISR/Strike software can run directly integrated on the platform or through a GPU-based product it provides to customers. Applied Intuition also said the software is designed to maintain meaningful human control.
The company previously demoed its autonomy software with AEVEX's Atlas Group 2 LE during an Army exercise last fall, where the software autonomously managed swarms and teaming with soldiers to "identify, relay, initiate and carry out desired mission objectives".
Mayhem 10, unveiled in April, is the newest member of AV's family of multi-mission UAVs. AV's SVP of Loitering Munitions Brian Young told Tectonic Defense that the Mayhem 10 is "like a sister" to the Switchblade 400 loitering munition and uses much of the same hardware. The drone weighs about 29 pounds, carries a 10-pound payload, has a range of about 100 km, a cruising speed of 80 mph, and a dash speed exceeding 120 mph. It is designed to be modular and adaptable to ISR, communications, and electronic warfare systems, and can be launched from air, ground, or sea-based platforms. The Mayhem 10 is also built to operate autonomously through AV's AV_Halo COMMAND battle management and C2 software.
ANALYSIS The integration of Applied Intuition's autonomy stack into AV's newest loitering munition places AI-driven swarm coordination at the center of a program tied directly to U.S. Army requirements. Applied Intuition's expanding footprint across multiple launched effects platforms — both AV's Mayhem 10 and AEVEX's Atlas Group 2 LE — positions the company as a recurring autonomy middleware provider in the defense sector's shift toward networked, semi-autonomous munitions.