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DOD launches swarming drone in test of C-130 "drone mothership" concept:
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been conducting research into a number of types of swarming drones that could be used on the battlefield. The latest of these is the "Gremlins" program—an effort to build relatively low-cost unmanned aircraft that can be launched from a "mothership" transport aircraft and then be recovered by the mothership after their mission is complete.
This past week, the Defense Department conducted the first airborne launch test for the Dynetics X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle, a jet-powered drone that can be launched from the rotary weapons bays of the B-1 and B-52, from wing pylons, or from a C-130—and then recovered by a C-130 equipped with a docking cable and a crane-like recovery arm.
The first flight of the X-61A took place in November, but the test this week—at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah—was the first air launch of the drone. While the 101-minute flight was successful, the parachute system intended to allow for a soft ground landing failed, and the drone was destroyed in the unexpected hard landing that followed.
[...] The first recovery test will come sometime this spring. By the end of the year, the program aims to launch and recover four Gremlins within 30 minutes.
Also at MIT Technology Review
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Monday February 03 2020, @01:28AM (2 children)
But would you want a C-130 flying orbit around a hot zone for 30 minutes while it performs the recovery, especially when people KNOW that there has to be a recovery aircraft buzzing around somewhere? You always kill the mothership. That takes the drones out of any future engagements.
Especially since the C-130 is a big slow cargo plane. Kind of hard to hide. It's not like with a top speed of 370 mph it's going to outrace even a WW2 prop-driven fighter.
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(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday February 03 2020, @06:15PM (1 child)
Spectre, Spooky, Puff the Magic Dragon, or whatever nickname it goes by, ain't afraid of much of anything. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_AC-130 [wikipedia.org]
Of course I don't know how these drone motherships will be armed, but the 130 series of gunships are beasts. They are also freaking expensive.
I suppose we all understand that this gunship, nor the drone ship, will never operate without support at hand. As part of a multi-arms force, this is the muscle, relying on more agile units to protect it from jet fighter attack, or missile attack.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_AC-130 [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Monday February 03 2020, @07:16PM
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