TEKNOFEST Swarm UAV Competition

TEKNOFEST Swarm UAV Competition is an engineering competition focused on advanced technology, aiming to enable unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with swarm algorithms to perform designated tasks collaboratively and in coordination. The competition is organized under the TEKNOFEST Aviation, Space and Technology Festival, led by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) and the Ministry of Industry and Technology.

The primary goal of the competition is to encourage the development of software and algorithms for swarm UAV technology, guide young engineers toward productivity in this field, and contribute to the emergence of national solutions applicable in both military and civilian contexts. Swarm UAV systems consist of autonomous aerial vehicles that operate collectively without requiring a central control unit, inspired by collective behaviors observed in bird flocks and fish schools. The competition holds significant importance in testing these artificial intelligence-based systems under real-world conditions, enhancing practical application skills, and transforming theoretical knowledge into technology.

^{TEKNOFEST Swarm UAV Competition (Photo: T3 Foundation)}

Swarm UAV systems operate using a structure that mimics the collective behaviors of bird flocks and fish schools. Each UAV maintains continuous communication with nearby vehicles to autonomously perform tasks such as task sharing, obstacle avoidance, route planning, and target tracking. This technology can be applied across a wide range of fields including forest fire response, logistics operations, agricultural spraying, border security, search and rescue missions, and deception of enemy radar systems.

Students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs, as well as final-year graduates, from Türkiye or abroad may participate in teams of three to ten members. Participating teams are responsible for developing the necessary software and algorithms that enable UAVs to perform assigned tasks as a swarm. These algorithms are evaluated in real-world conditions during the final stage of the competition.

The competition follows a five-stage evaluation process:

1. Preliminary Design Report
2. Preliminary Evaluation Presentation
3. Critical Design Report
4. Flight Proof and Software Evaluation Video
5. Final Competition

In each stage, teams are scored based on technical proficiency, algorithmic performance, system reliability, originality, and applicability. Report templates and technical documentation are announced on TEKNOFEST’s official website.

^{TEKNOFEST Swarm UAV Competition (Photo: T3 Foundation)}

The TEKNOFEST Swarm UAV Competition is fully aligned with the vision of the National Technology Initiative and contributes to Türkiye’s goals of increasing domestic and national production capacity in defense and advanced technology sectors. In recent years, Türkiye’s investments in swarm UAV technology have further enhanced the strategic importance of this competition. The event serves as a critical platform for young engineering candidates to discover their capabilities in this field, integrate into national projects, and nurture the next generation that will design the autonomous air fleets of the future.

The advancement of swarm UAV technology will deliver innovative solutions across numerous domains, from smart city management and natural disaster response to border security and reconnaissance operations. In this context, the TEKNOFEST Swarm UAV Competition is regarded not merely as a contest but as an innovation arena that fosters young participants’ abilities to create, apply, and deliver value through technology to society.