Swarmz Challenge 2025: A Top 5 Finish for ESILV-EMLV Cross-Disciplinary Team

Two students from De Vinci Higher Education teamed up with professionals to tackle the Swarmz Challenge. Their team ranked among the top five out of 54 teams.

Here’s a look back at a technical and strategic project combining simulation, robotics, and interdisciplinary teamwork.

Swarmz Challenge: Drone Simulation Linking Academia and Industry

Organised by MBDA, Naval Group, ALTEN, OSE Engineering, TVT Innovation, SYSTEM FACTORY, Nexedi, Université de Toulouse, Icarus Swarms, Rapid.Space, and MTPM the Swarmz Challenge brings together professionals, engineers, and students to simulate autonomous drone combat scenarios.

The 2025 edition brought together 54 teams competing in real-time virtual environments, requiring a blend of programming, coordination, and strategy.

Leading a Multidisciplinary Drone Team at De Vinci Higher Education

The LMT team consisted of four students from EMLV, ESILV, and UTT Lyon, including Titouan Dijon, a 2026 junior financial auditor at KPMG and a student at EMLV, and Solal Chatelain, a 2028 engineering student in the integrated preparatory cycle at ESILV.

Together, they tackled the challenge’s full complexity, balancing programming skills, system architecture, and tactical thinking.

Drone Swarm Autonomy Using ROS2 and Gazebo Simulator

The primary task was to design an autonomous control algorithm capable of piloting a five-drone swarm within a Linux-based simulation environment.

Using ROS2 and the Gazebo simulator, the team programmed drone behaviours, tactical coordination, and inter-unit communication in Python.

The algorithm made all decisions autonomously, mimicking real-world scenarios where human intervention is not an option.

Project-Based Learning Through Interdisciplinary Engineering and Management

The Swarmz Challenge provided an opportunity to apply technical knowledge in a high-stakes, collaborative setting.

It reflects the project-based learning approach promoted across the schools of De Vinci Higher Education, encouraging the convergence of engineering and management competencies.

Swarmz Strategy and Technical Methodology: A Documented Approach

The team also documented its approach in a detailed technical report, showcasing how combat strategies were designed, tested, and refined.

This deliverable serves as both a learning tool and a demonstration of the group’s structured, results-oriented methodology.

The LMT team’s performance at the Swarmz Challenge underlines the benefits of interdisciplinary education and teamwork. It highlights how students at De Vinci Higher Education are equipped to engage with real-world challenges by merging technical precision with strategic insight.

Learn more EMLV’s transversal approach