EVX-5 Gnat Storm: The Swarm and FPV Threat.

Operational System | In Production

Gnat Storm is a purpose-built quadcopter aerial target that replicates what fixed-wing systems cannot: the hover capability, agile multi-axis maneuverability, and authentic behavioral signature of the small-UAS, FPV, and swarm threats that define the leading edge of modern conflict. Attritable cost. Scalable density. Built to be shot.

The Training Problem

The Threat Flies Like a Quadcopter. Your Target Should Too.

The small-UAS and FPV drone threats shaping modern conflict aren’t flying fixed-wing approach geometries. They hover. They maneuver aggressively on multiple axes. They approach from unexpected vectors, change direction at close range, and present a behavioral signature that is fundamentally different from any fixed-wing target system.

Replicating that behavior authentically requires the same airframe geometry: a quadcopter. Fixed-wing aerial targets can replicate speed and range. They cannot replicate the hover, the agility, or the close-range multi-axis maneuver that defines how FPV and small commercial UAS actually threaten defended positions.

There is a second dimension to this problem. Many C-UAS training programs built their quadcopter surrogate target capability around commercially available platforms that are now subject to federal procurement restrictions. Programs relying on restricted foreign-sourced commercial quadcopters for swarm and FPV threat replication face enforcement timelines that limit or prohibit their continued use — with no compliant alternative identified. For those programs, the training gap and the procurement gap have converged.

What Is Gnat Storm

Quadcopter-Authentic. Attritable by Design. Scalable by Default.

The EVX-5 Gnat Storm is a purpose-built quadcopter aerial target system for swarm density and FPV threat emulation. As one of two quadcopter-class systems in the ABSI in-production aerial targets portfolio, Gnat Storm replicates the specific flight characteristics — hover, multi-axis agility, dynamic maneuvering, and close-range threat presentation — that make small-UAS and FPV threats so difficult to detect, track, and engage. These behaviors cannot be authentically replicated by fixed-wing systems.

Gnat Storm is engineered for attrition. Its cost profile makes live-fire kinetic engagement practical at the volume and density that swarm training demands — not as a single-drone exposure, but as a multi-system simultaneous threat environment that forces operators to prioritize, sequence, and execute under realistic pressure. An optional FPV configuration extends the threat profile to include operator-controlled dynamic behavior, further challenging detection and tracking systems.

Unlike modified commercial or hobby-grade drones that produce limited or non-repeatable scenarios, Gnat Storm is purpose-built and U.S.-manufactured — designed for operational consistency at scale across both training and test and evaluation environments.

NDAA-compliant variants will run ABSI’s own U.S.-manufactured flight controller upon its production release this summer — addressing the single most constrained component in domestic drone manufacturing. Remaining avionics components are sourced from NDAA-compliant supply chains, with a full ABSI-developed avionics stack on the roadmap.

Key Capabilities

Quadcopter-Authentic Threat Replication
Replicates the hover capability, multi-axis agility, and close-range behavioral signature of FPV and small-UAS threats — the specific characteristics that fixed-wing aerial targets cannot authentically emulate.
Swarm-Scale Density
Supports multi-system simultaneous operations at meaningful threat density — forcing operators to prioritize, sequence, and execute against coordinated aerial threats, not just single-drone exposures.
Attritable Cost for Live-Fire Use
Engineered for affordability at the volume swarm training demands. Cost profile makes kinetic engagement and destructive testing economically viable at scale.
Optional FPV Configuration
Extends the threat profile to include operator-controlled dynamic maneuvering and target-focused routing — replicating the aggressive, unpredictable behavior of FPV-style threat employment.
UAS Training Kit
Available as a complete hands-on training kit supporting UAS assembly, configuration, programming, and flight operations — building the operator and maintainer proficiency needed to sustain a drone program, using the same system employed for mission training.
Two Procurement Configurations
Available in a NDAA-compliant variant for standard DoD procurement, and C-UAS training-optimized variant under the Section 817 FY2023 NDAA exemption — for maximum threat fidelity with authentic adversary emissions

UAS Training Kit

The Same System That Trains… Teaches

Gnat Storm is available as a complete UAS training kit — supporting hands-on development in UAS assembly, configuration, programming, and flight operations. Organizations that need to build internal UAS competency — not just train against UAS threats — can use the same system for both purposes.

This dual utility eliminates the need for separate platforms for threat replication and operator development. Personnel trained on the Gnat Storm kit operate the same system in mission training — accelerating qualification timelines and reducing logistics complexity.

Optional instructor-led support is available to accelerate program execution and workforce development.

Who This Serves

Organizations standing up new counter-UAS programs who need to develop internal UAS expertise alongside threat replication capability
Law enforcement and DHS units building organic drone programs
Training commands developing UAS operator qualification pipelines

System Specifications

Airframe Type	Quadcopter — replicates hover capability, multi-axis agility, and FPV behavioral signature that fixed-wing systems cannot authentically emulate
Threat Profile	Small-UAS swarm, FPV-style threat employment, coordinated multi-system operations
FPV Configuration	Optional — enables operator-controlled dynamic maneuvering and target-focused routing
Swarm Capability	Multi-system simultaneous deployment at operationally meaningful threat density
Sortie Generation	Optimized for high-tempo repeated launches and sustained training events
Training Kit	Available as complete UAS training kit — assembly, configuration, programming, flight operations
Instructor Support	Optional instructor-led support for accelerated program execution
Flight Controller	ABSI-designed, U.S.-manufactured — the most supply chain-constrained component in NDAA-compliant drone production, now resolved in-house. Transition to ABSI controller upon production release, summer 2026.
Other Avionics	ESCs and GPS sourced from NDAA-compliant supply chains. Full ABSI-developed avionics stack on the roadmap.
NDAA-Compliant Variant	Supply chain validated for NDAA compliance. Standard DoD procurement — no exception-to-policy required.
C-UAS Training Variant	Authentic adversary component set. Procured under Section 817, FY2023 NDAA exemption for C-UAS surrogate testing and training.

Detailed performance parameters, system configurations, and integration options are tailored to mission requirements. Contact our team to discuss how Gnat Storm can support your specific test, training, or evaluation objectives.

Use Cases - Applications

Primary

Counter-swarm training and evaluation against massed small-UAS threats
FPV-style threat emulation for detection, tracking, and engagement training
Live-fire kinetic engagement at swarm density
Development and validation of counter-swarm TTPs

Secondary

Homeland security and law enforcement counter-UAS training
UAS operator and maintainer training and qualification
Multi-system coordinated training events within the ABSI GCS ecosystem

ABSI AERIAL TARGETS ECOSYSTEM

One control system. Every threat class. Seamless training at scale.

Gnat Storm is the swarm and FPV threat layer within the ABSI aerial target ecosystem — the quadcopter-class system that replicates the specific behavioral signatures no fixed-wing platform can match. Within the common GCS architecture, Gnat Storm’s swarm density can be layered alongside Rattler’s broad-spectrum Group 1–3 volume and Pit Viper’s high-speed tactical profiles — enabling the kind of integrated, simultaneous multi-threat training scenarios that reflect how adversaries actually fight.

Acquisition Pathway

In Production. Available Now.

Gnat Storm is available to U.S. government customers, prime contractors, and authorized partners through the Defense Logistics Agency’s Special Operational Equipment Tailored Logistic Support (DLA SOE/TLS) program and direct contracting pathways.

Available in both NDAA-compliant and C-UAS training-optimized configurations, and as a complete system or UAS training kit. Your mission and acquisition pathway determine your configuration — not your vendor.

Not sure which configuration fits your program?

The C-UAS training-optimized variant is available under Section 817 of the FY2023 NDAA — a statutory exemption that gives counter-UAS training programs explicit authority to procure authentic adversary component systems without standard NDAA supply chain restrictions. Many federal buyers are not aware this authority exists. Contact ABSI and we’ll walk your team through the pathway.

Train for Mass. Test at Tempo.

Gnat Storm delivers the swarm density and FPV behavioral fidelity your operators need to train for the threats that are shaping modern conflict — at the cost and scale that makes high-frequency live-fire training practical