Duality AI Joins U.S. Army’s XM30 Program to Revolutionize Counter-Drone AI with Digital Twin Technology

In a groundbreaking step toward modernizing battlefield technology, Duality AI has partnered with the U.S. Army’s XM30 Programme to advance artificial intelligence (AI) in counter-drone warfare. This collaboration is part of a broader initiative to develop the next-generation replacement for the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, with a heavy focus on leveraging AI for soldier protection.

Duality AI is best known for developing Falcon, a powerful digital twin simulation platform. The U.S. Army, through its XM30 Advanced Capabilities team, is utilizing Falcon to build and train an AI Target Detection and Recognition (AiTDR) system. This AI-driven system is being designed to identify, track, and respond to hostile drones before they become a threat to military personnel.

Why Counter-Drone AI Matters

With drones becoming an increasingly common part of modern warfare — from surveillance to carrying out direct attacks — it's vital that frontline vehicles like the upcoming XM30 are equipped with fast, accurate, and adaptable AI systems. The AiTDR system, therefore, plays a critical role in enhancing the vehicle's situational awareness and defense capabilities.

Falcon: The Heart of Virtual AI Training

Falcon’s digital twin simulation technology creates realistic battlefield scenarios using virtual sensors and environments. This allows AI models like AiTDR to be trained using synthetic data — digitally generated information that mimics real-world conditions. This approach is especially valuable because gathering real-world data for every possible combat situation is nearly impossible.

Through Falcon, the Army can:

• Simulate various types of drones, terrain, and lighting conditions.

• Experiment with sensor configurations without needing physical hardware.

• Produce vast amounts of accurate training data in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.

According to Duality AI’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer Michael Taylor, “Falcon’s complete control over simulation environments gives the Army the ability to train and test the AiTDR model in complex conditions, explore varied drone detection scenarios, and validate potential solutions before field testing.”

Project Linchpin and the Army Research Lab's Role

The AI model is being developed under the U.S. Army's Project Linchpin, with technical support from the Army Research Lab (ARL). The use of Falcon during the initial stages is expected to:

• Speed up development timelines

• Reduce field testing costs

• Improve AI model accuracy and resilience under pressure

This digital-first methodology signals a shift away from traditional defense development, allowing for faster innovation with reduced risk.

Building on Proven Success

Duality AI’s expertise in synthetic data generation has already been demonstrated in programs like DARPA’s RACER challenge. These successes show that AI trained on high-quality synthetic data can perform at or above the level of systems trained on real-world data.

In the XM30 project, Falcon’s simulation suite is helping to create and refine the AiTDR model in multiple phases. The first phase focuses on integrating the AI model with Falcon’s simulator. Future phases will see the model evolve alongside continuous upgrades to the virtual training environment, guided by Duality’s engineers.

A Vision for the Future

Beyond the current focus on drone threats, the collaboration opens the door to a wider use of digital twin simulations across the Army’s AI training programs. This could include systems for vehicle navigation, automated threat assessment, and intelligent decision-making on the battlefield.

Apurva Shah, Duality’s CEO, summed up the significance of the partnership: “The XM30 digital-first approach to AI model deployment is farsighted and precisely the type of system development approach for which Falcon’s digital twin workflows have been designed.”

As the XM30 programme pushes forward, the integration of advanced simulation technology like Falcon stands to redefine how military systems are built and deployed — setting a new benchmark for AI-driven defense innovation.