Recovering UASs in Mid-Air is No Science Fiction

Recovering UASs in Mid-Air is No Science Fiction

in mid-air

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UASs mid-air launch and recovery is one of the technologies that interest the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Dynetics has been awarded a 21-month, $38.6 million award for the third phase of a research effort that aims to recover drones in mid-air.  According to Dynetics, the ability for a single, manned aircraft to stand off from danger yet manage multiple air vehicles equipped with sensors and other payloads lends itself well to enhanced support of tactical strike, reconnaissance/ surveillance, and close air support missions.

The company has been selected as the top performer for Phase 3 of the Gremlins program.  

The Gremlins program envisions launching groups of UASs from existing large aircraft while those planes are out of range of adversary defenses. When the gremlins complete their mission, a C-130 transport aircraft would retrieve them in the air and carry them home, where ground crews would prepare them for their next use within 24 hours.

Managed out of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office (TTO), the objective of Gremlins is to accelerate the ability to perform aerial launch and recovery of volley quantities of low-cost, reusable unmanned aerial systems (UASs).  This capability, once demonstrated and matured, enables a significant expansion of distributed architectures for airborne operations.

The entire program will last 43 months, totaling $64 million.

The Dynetics solution involves deploying a towed, stabilized capture device below and away from the C-130.  The air vehicle docks with the device much like an airborne refueling operation. Once docked and powered off, the air vehicle is raised to the C-130, where it is mechanically secured and stowed. The key technologies can be straightforwardly adapted to allow under-wing recovery and bay recovery by other cargo aircraft, according to the company’s statement on its website.

The Gremlins system also benefits in both contested environments and low-intensity, routine operations.  

“The unmanned air vehicles utilized in these future operations will carry a variety of different sensors and other payloads, working together to manage and conduct complex, highly-adaptive operations in contested environments,” said Tim Keeter, Dynetics deputy program manager and chief engineer. “When they complete their mission, they return to airborne manned platforms to be recovered to a forward operating base where they can be quickly refurbished and put back into the fight.  The potential to overwhelm an adversary continuously with multiple volleys is tremendous.”

Dynetics partners for the Gremlins program include Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) – Salt Lake City group, and more.