Drone swarms are being used in surveillance, combat and logistics, including in Ukraine and Gaza , sparking global demand that is expected to quadruple in short order from over $1.5 billion last year.
The NZDF has put out a tender asking for a "limited quantity" of drones that can be coordinated by a single operator.
AI-powered swarm control systems allow a single operator to command dozens or hundreds of networked drones simultaneously.
The NZDF tender said it wanted the drones for assessment and experimenting with.
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"It is not intended for operational use or large-scale fleet deployment."
Australia is aiming to launch swarms of aerial drones from its underwater Ghost Shark drone via a launcher it pokes above the sea surface.
Also, US company Shield AI has just done a deal to pair its swarming Hivemind mission autonomy software into "loitering" strike drones called OWLS and made in Perth.
New Zealand is set on a path to try to achieve interchangeability with Australia on defence in less than a decade.
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