U.S. Army tests drone mothership that launches its own swarm

The U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps evaluated a drone mothership built by Modalic during Scarlet Dragon 26-3, an experimentation exercise held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in mid-September.

The aircraft, called the Autonomous Swarm Mothership, launched smaller drones in flight as soldiers tested whether the network could track the parent aircraft, separate its daughter drones, and identify the larger threat as multiple aerial contacts appeared.

The demonstration was part of a broader test of counter-drone systems at Scarlet Dragon 26-3, which ran drone swarms of up to 100 aircraft to stress sensor networks, battle-management software, and air-defense crews. Soldiers evaluated whether sensors, artificial intelligence tools, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, and defensive weapons could work together against saturation attacks, rather than testing each system on its own.

Modalic showed a production version of its mothership aircraft, called Chariot, at the same event. Company co-founder and CEO Zack Fishbein told reporters at Fort Bragg on Sept. 16 that Chariot weighs 200 pounds (91 kg) and carries a payload of up to 100 pounds (45 kg), with flight testing on the new aircraft set to begin in November.

“The Scarlet Dragon exercise has become a validation exercise in the dirt with Soldiers doing integrated, real-world operational-type tasks,” said Col. Tom Monahan, director of the XVIII Airborne Corps’ Joint Innovation Outpost.

Scarlet Dragon is the Corps’ recurring series of field exercises that pairs soldiers with industry partners to test emerging technology under realistic conditions. This was the third iteration in the current cycle, following events in December 2025 and earlier this year, each expanding on lessons from the last. An August event at Fort Bragg’s Joint Innovation Outpost drew more than 50 companies to test counter-drone sensors ahead of the September exercise.

Beyond the Modalic mothership, the exercise tested a dual-mode air-ground light tactical vehicle built on an off-road utility terrain vehicle chassis, evaluated for its ability to shift between ground mobility and flight without relying on runways or fixed infrastructure, with potential uses in reconnaissance, resupply, and casualty evacuation. Soldiers also launched small unmanned aircraft systems in coordinated swarms from a single site at Holland Drop Zone to test their ability to fly in formation.

The Corps plans to continue testing these technologies during Scarlet Dragon 27-1 in April 2027, ahead of a larger exercise called Summit Strike at Fort Drum, New York, in September 2027. The Army has not disclosed whether it plans to procure the Modalic mothership or set a timeline for fielding any of the systems tested at Fort Bragg.