Swarmer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SWMR), a drone autonomy software company, announced a strategic partnership with and equity investment in Vectus Air Defense Systems, a newly formed company led by Erik Prince that will offer air defense as a managed service to governments and critical infrastructure operators.

Vectus Air Defense Systems plans to design, integrate and operate layered air-defense systems under multi-year contractual agreements, covering system architecture, equipment, personnel, operations, management and maintenance. The company says it will draw on technologies from the United States, Ukraine, Israel and other allied nations, combining detection and tracking with counter-drone architecture that includes electronic warfare, drone interceptors and large-caliber cannons.

Prince, who serves as non-executive chairman of Swarmer and founder of Vectus Air Defense Systems, said demand for a private-sector air defense solution is strong based on his conversations with technology suppliers and potential customers across Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. "We need to achieve a drastic reduction in the cost of defense and to enable customers to take the protection of critical assets into their own hands," he said.

Swarmer will collaborate with Vectus on counter-drone capabilities, including drone interceptor swarming technology. Swarmer describes itself as a vendor-agnostic autonomy software company that has supported more than 100,000 combat missions in Ukraine since April 2024.

Alex Fink, president and U.S. chief executive of Swarmer, said Prince's experience with defense ministries and military leaders positions Vectus to assemble technologies from multiple suppliers and deliver them through an air-defense-as-a-service model.

Both companies are headquartered in Austin, Texas. The financial terms of Swarmer's equity investment in Vectus were not disclosed in the announcement.