Navy researchers developing swarms of cooperating air drones for overwhelming land and sea attacks

ARLINGTON, Va., 16 April 2015. U.S. Navy researchers have demonstrated swarming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to overwhelm an adversary autonomously as the UAVs fly together like flocks of birds.

UAV experts at the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., announced Wednesday they have conducted recent technology demonstrations of swarming drones as part of the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) program.

The LOCUST program is developing enabling technologies to help sailors and Marines launch overwhelming swarms of reconnaissance and armed UAVs from launchers on land or at sea.

The LOCUST program includes a tube-based launcher that can send UAVs into the air in rapid succession. The drones then share information among themselves on a wireless network to coordinate their behavior in defensive or offensive missions, Navy officials say.

Navy researchers are designing UAVs and launchers small enough to operate from surface ships, land vehicles, manned aircraft, other UAVs, or unmanned marine vehicles. Navy researchers also are working on small reconnaissance UAVs that can be launched covertly from submarine missile tubes.

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The ONR LOCUST demonstrates were last month in several locations, and included Coyote UAVs able to carry varying payloads for different missions. A separate nine-UAV demonstration showed autonomous UAV synchronization and formation flight, ONR officials say.

Even hundreds of small autonomous UAVs cost less than one manned tactical aircraft; this capability will force adversaries to focus on UAV swarm response, officials say.

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“This level of autonomous swarming flight has never been done before,” says Lee Mastroianni, the LOCUST program manager at ONR. “UAVs that are expendable and reconfigurable will free manned aircraft and traditional weapon systems to do more, and essentially multiply combat power at decreased risk to the warfighter.”

ONR officials note that while the LOCUST autonomy is cutting edge compared to remote-controlled UAVs, there will always be a human monitoring the mission, able to step in and take control as necessary.

ONR announced the LOCUST demonstrations this week at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space conference and trade show in National Harbor, Md. For more information contact the Office of Naval Research online at www.onr.navy.mil.