Palladyne AI Corp. (NASDAQ: PDYN) announced that its BRAIN edge AI flight computer has been selected as a finalist in the U.S. Army FUZE xTech|Apex Intercept competition, according to a company press release.

The xTech|Apex Intercept program is run by the U.S. Army FUZE xTech Program in partnership with Capability Program Executive Defensive Fires. It is designed to identify commercial technologies with potential Department of War application and bring non-traditional innovators into the DoW Science and Technology ecosystem.

As a finalist, Palladyne AI will have the opportunity to demonstrate BRAIN to U.S. Army and DoW end-users at a finals demonstration event expected to be held in October or November 2026.

BRAIN is described by the company as an edge AI flight computer designed to support guidance, navigation and control, onboard autonomy, autonomous decision support, and real-time mission adaptation without relying on centralized computing or constant connectivity.

"Being selected as a finalist gives Palladyne AI the opportunity to demonstrate BRAIN directly to Army and DoW evaluators in a mission-relevant setting," said Ben Wolff, President and Chief Executive Officer of Palladyne AI.

The announcement follows the company's previously disclosed $2.6 million in BRAIN flight computer orders from a defense prime contractor, with $2.3 million of that amount supporting a low-cost kinetic counter-UAS interceptor system.