The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) successfully demonstrated the recovery of an X-61 Gremlins drone, retrieving it into a C-130 Hercules aircraft mid-air. The complex maneuver was part of the Gremlins program and took place last month in Utah.
DARPA's Gremlins program envisions launching groups of up to four drones from large aircraft such as bombers or carriers while they are out of the range of enemy defenses. Gremlins were designed to work in conjunction with Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which is assigned to retrieve the vehicles while in flight and carry them back to the base. Once at the base, the drones can be reused within 24 hours.
The Gremlins can be used up to 20 times and offer significant advantages to military forces, lowering payload costs as well as mission and maintenance expenses compared to other conventional platforms.
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Paul Calhoun, the Gremlins program manager, says that the latest demonstration represents "a culmination of years of hard work and demonstrates the feasibility of safe, reliable airborne recovery."
Last year, DARPA tried to demonstrate this aerial recovery capability, but the attempts proved to be unsuccessful. Now, the agency has released a video showing a Gremlins drone being captured by the C-130. The exercise took place at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, last month and saw two X-61 drones being flown and restored to be used again in less than 24 hours.
In total, over four flight tests were conducted before one X-61 ultimately demonstrated airborne recovery capability. The other wasn't so lucky, as it got destroyed during the flight tests. This demonstration allowed the team to gather data, which will be used in future missions.
"Airborne recovery is complex," said Calhoun. "We will take some time to enjoy the success of this deployment, then get back to work further analyzing the data and determining next steps for the Gremlins technology."
The Gremlins program seeks to demonstrate the launch and recovery of four Gremlin drones from the air in less than half an hour. Air recoveries are crucial for military forces because they have the potential to significantly increase the range and military usage of drones in combat scenarios.
Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature. Full profile
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