DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is one step closer to building swarming drones that it can launch from military planes and recover in midair, after conducting the first flight of the Gremlins aircraft in November. Defense News reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
13 Feb. 2020 -- The test at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, proved that a C-130A utility turboprop aircraft could launch an X-61A Gremlins drone, said Tim Keeter, who manages the program for Dynetics. The company won the Gremlins contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2018.
The the X-61A Gremlins drone flew with no anomalies during its test flight, and validates the Gremlins’ data links and the ability to hand off control of the drone between air and ground control stations.
The recovery process, was a different story, however as the drone was destroyed in a crash to the ground, when its main parachute did not deploy correctly due to a mechanical issue.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
