Here Is A Look At The U.S. Army Preparing For A 40 Drone Swarm Attack

At sunrise this morning a swarm of 40 quadcopters all equipped with cameras, MILES, and lethal munition capable launched in advance of 11th ACR’s attack on a prepared defense by 1AD. Drones will be as important in the first battle of the next war as artillery is today. pic.twitter.com/zPQ2I8SoqN

— NTC Lead 6 (@NTCLead6) September 11, 2022

VICE: Watch the U.S. Army Prepare for a 40 Drone Swarm Attack  

The U.S. Army is training its troops to fight against a modern threat: swarms of coordinated commercial drones. 

On the morning of September 11, 2022, the U.S. Army launched a swarm of 40 s small quadcopter drones into the California desert as part of a training exercise designed to prepare America’s soldiers for a grim reality of modern war: cheap off the shelf drones capable of carrying munitions have become ubiquitous on the battlefield.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Another glimpse on what the future of warfare will look like.

U.S. Air Force Wants A Manned Fighter To Face An Artificial Intelligence-Driven Next Year

An artist's conception of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter attempting to engage a stealthy 5GAT aerial target drone with an AIM-9X sidewinder missile. The manufacturer, Sierra Technical Services, has said it is interested in pitching this design, or a derivative thereof, to the Air Force as a loyal wingman, as well. Sierra Technical Services

Warzone/The Drive: Manned Fighter To Face Autonomous Drone Next Year In Sci-Fi Movie-Like Showdown

The planned test is part of a project to develop an artificial intelligence-driven drone that could change the face of air combat.

The Air Force is hoping to pit an autonomous drone equipped with an artificial intelligence-driven flight control system against a fighter jet with a human pilot in a little over a year. The service has described this effort in the past as a "big moonshot" that could revolutionize air-to-air combat in ways that have so far been limited to the realm of fiction - at least as far as we know.

Air Force Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan, head of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), revealed that the Air Force had set the goal of holding the faceoff in July 2021 during a remote event that the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies held on June 4, 2020. The Pentagon established the JAIC in 2018 to serve as a central point of focus for AI developments and related activities across the U.S. military.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I cannot help but sense that we are at the cusp of a new age of air combat.

More Details Emerge On Boeing's Loyal Wingman Drone

The first finished "Loyal Wingman" prototype.Boeing

Popular Science: Boeing’s new autonomous fighter jet has a pop-off, swappable nose

Called the “Loyal Wingman,” the drone is designed to fly with crewed aircraft.

The US military’s most futuristic and problematic fighter jet is the F-35, a very expensive aircraft that costs the Air Force around $82 million a pop. Exorbitant price tags like that, and other considerations, are spurring aircraft makers and air forces to think about ways to augment the fighter jets they have—planes flown by people—with smaller aircraft that have no one on board.

The latest full-sized prototype in this category comes from Boeing, and it’s a 38 foot-long airplane with twin tails and no space for a human pilot. Essentially, it’s a fighter jet drone. But, rather than simply cruising at high altitudes and conducting surveillance like a Global Hawk, Boeing’s plane can perform much more dynamic movements. While the aerospace company isn’t revealing too many details, it does say that it will have a range of some 2,300 miles and “fighter-like performance.” The initial aircraft the company has unveiled is called a “Loyal Wingman” airplane.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This drone is going to be heavily dependent on software .... Boeing Loyal Wingman: A combat drone that leans hard on AI (CNet).

The Future Of Drone Warfare Is Being Played Out In Yemen

An Iranian-built drone, used by Houthi rebels in Yemen, and captured by the Arab Coaliton. Victor Besa / The National

NPR: In Yemen Conflict, Some See A New Age Of Drone Warfare

In January, a group of high-level military commanders gathered at an air base in Yemen. It was far from the frontlines of the country's ongoing civil war.

Then, without warning, a small drone appeared out of the sky and exploded, spraying the group with shrapnel. According to news reports, the blast killed several, including the Yemeni government's head of military intelligence.

"It's pretty scary because it's clear that these guys had no idea what had just happened," says Nick Waters, a researcher with the U.K.-based online investigative group Bellingcat who has been tracking the Yemen conflict.

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WNU Editor: I concur with the above analysis. Future drones will be small, cheap to build, and very deadly.

A New Way To Fly?

Defense Blog: BAE provides MAGMA breakthrough blown-air flight technologies test details

Britain’s biggest defense company BAE Systems announced Thursday that for the first time in aviation history, an aircraft has been maneuvered in flight using supersonically blown air, removing the need for complex movable flight control surfaces.

BAE Systems has disclosed details on the development of MAGMA unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designed and built in collaboration with The University of Manchester to demonstrate novel control technologies.

In a series of ground-breaking flight trials that took place in the skies above north-west Wales, the MAGMA unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) demonstrated two innovative flow control technologies which could revolutionize future aircraft design.

Read more ....

Update: UK Weapons Giant Tests 'Flapless' Drone Virtually Undetectable by Radar (VIDEO) (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: This is a major breakthrough.

U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Successfully Scores Its First Air-to-Air Kill In Training Exercise

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper with a more common loadout consisting of AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and an underwing fuel tank to extend its range. USAF

Military.com: MQ-9 Gets First Air-to-Air Kill in Training Exercise, Air Force Official Says

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- An MQ-9 Reaper drone has bagged its first air-to-air kill of another small, aerial vehicle in a controlled simulation, an official revealed to Military.com this week.

The successful test late last year showed the U.S. Air Force that an unmanned vehicle like the MQ-9 has the ability to conduct air-to-air combat, much like its manned fighter brethren such as an F-15 Eagle or F-22 Raptor, according to Col. Julian Cheater, commander of the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

Read more ....

Update #1: Top drone: Reaper scores drone kill in air-to-air missile test (Ars Technica)
Update #2: Heat-Seeking Missile-Armed MQ-9 Reaper Shot Down Target Drone During Exercise (The Warzone/The Drive)

WNU Editor: This test was done last year, but we are only learning about it now. The day when drones are used to shoot down other drones and/or aircraft has just taken one big step forward.

The U.S. Air Force Wants to Give Its Pilots The Ability To Control Drones From The Cockpit In The Air

F-35 with drones. Pinterest

Kris Osborn, National Interest: Air Force to Arm F-15s, F-22s and F-35s with the Ultimate Weapon

The Air Force and DARPA are now testing new hardware and software configured to enable 4th-Generation aircraft to command drones from the cockpit in the air, bringing new levels of autonomy, more attack options and a host of new reconnaissance advantages to air warfare.

The Air Force and DARPA are now testing new hardware and software configured to enable 4th-Generation aircraft to command drones from the cockpit in the air, bringing new levels of autonomy, more attack options and a host of new reconnaissance advantages to air warfare.

Working with BAE Systems at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Air Force test pilots are combing ground-based simulators with airborne leer jets to demonstrate how 4th generation cockpit avionics can direct drones from the air, BAE Systems developers said.

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WNU Editor: If this new hardware and software is successful, the additional attack and reconnaissance options for pilots who can control drones from their cockpit will be huge.

Will Advances In Drone Technology Soon Make It Possible For Terror Drones From Africa Reaching The U.S.?

PEXELS

Defense One: Trump’s Special Ops Pick Says Terror Drones Might Soon Reach the US from Africa. How Worried Should We Be?

Technological advancement could produce ocean-spanning consumer UAVs. But extremists won’t necessarily bother with them.

On a dusty beach in far western Africa, a group of men hop out of a pickup truck. They quickly assemble a small commercial drone and send it winging northwest across the Atlantic Ocean. A bit more than a day later, it will make landfall over the southeastern U.S. coast — its explosive payload still intact.

Advances in batteries and solar power could make this a reality, warns Owen West, whom President Donald Trump has tapped to oversee the Pentagon’s special operations and low-intensity conflicts.

“In about five years, drones will be able to be launched from Africa which can reach our shores, because they’ll have permanent power by the sun,” West told lawmakers last week during his confirmation hearing.

How likely is this scenario?

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Why send it from Africa .... travel to Canada or Mexico and fly it from there. Or better still .... find a way to enter the U.S. and then use a terror drone within the U.S. itself. These concerns on how drone technology is changing .... and how it could be used in launching a terror attack .... are valid. ISIS has shown the way on how these drones can be used, and security specialists are justifiably concerned that it will only be a matter of time before other terror groups do the same thing.

U.S. Air Force Releases An Image On What Their Future Drones May Look Like

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The Drive: USAF Research Lab Has Released This Image Of Its Low-Cost Stealthy Drone

The rendering appears to depict a more advanced version of the Low Cost Attritable Strike prototype currently in development.

We have followed the Air Force Research Lab's (AFRL) Low Cost Attritable Strike (LCAS) program closely for some time, and now the "bleeding-edge" weapons development arm of the Air Force has released a rendering of what appears to be its vision for concept under the Low Cost Attritable Aicraft Technology (LCAAT) banner, and it looks pretty impressive.

Target drone gurus Kratos, who have bet big on the LCAS concept—bringing a relatively inexpensive, optionally reusable unmanned combat air vehicle to the forefront of air warfare technology—has progressed to developing two distinct types of these unique drones. This includes the UTAP-22, which is based on the BQM-167 target drone, and the XQ-222, which is a larger more complex system with a higher degree of low observability (stealth), payload and range.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It makes you wonder if they have more than just that they are showing us .... like maybe there is already a working model.

Will A Long-Range Strike Drone Ever Be Built?

Northrop Grumman’s X-47B is one contender to provide new drone aircraft through the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program. (Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman)

Popular Mechanics: Will America Ever Build a Long-Range Strike Drone?

​The Navy has shown that autonomous aircraft can take off and land on aircraft carriers. But what will those super-drones do?​

The X-47B was a fierce-looking piece of the future. The Navy's web-shaped drone demonstrator was the first unmanned aircraft to take off and land on an aircraft carrier autonomously. It seemed to herald a future in which drones potentially could take the place of fighter pilots, fulfilling far-flung advanced missions on their own.

That was then. Last week, Defense News reported that the X-47B's successor will likely be just an aerial re-fueler, rather than an intelligence-reconnaissance drone as envisioned by the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. However, in a Tuesday morning speech unveiling President Obama's 2017 defense budget request, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter didn't say a word about turning the Navy's UCLASS system into a tanker.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Congress has been pushing for this drone for a long time .... Congress wants the Pentagon to develop a long-range, deadly superdrone (Washington Post).

The Pentagon Wants A Drone That Disintegrates In Sunlight

The drone must be able to travel 93 miles (150km) and able to drop a package weighing less than three lbs ( 1.4kg) onto a target measuring no more than 33 feet (10metres). A diagram of a landing zone is shown

Daily Mail: The 'vampire' drone that disappears in sunlight: Pentagon calls for design that drops payloads at night, before vanishing without a trace

* Icarus program is named after boy in Greek myth who flew close to the sun
* Aims to develop drones capable of carrying a small payload that 'vanish within four hours of payload delivery or within 30 minutes of ...twilight'
* There's a possibility that a final design may disappear in a puff of smoke
* Remains from the craft must be no larger than a grain of sand

Drones can drop supplies to hidden Special Forces or essential medical kit in warzones, but there’s the risk that their presence may give away the recipient’s location, or that the technology ends up in enemy hands.

To solve this problem, the Pentagon is calling for designs for ‘vampire’ drones that disappear in daylight.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is funding a new project to develop aircraft that can ‘fully vanish within four hours of payload delivery or within 30 minutes of morning civil twilight (assuming a night drop), whichever is earlier’.

WNU Editor: It looks like someone in the Pentagon and/or in the intelligence community wants a weapon system that will eliminate any trace that it was there.

More News On The Pentagon Wanting To Develop Drones That Disintegrate in Sunlight

The Military Is Creating Vampire Drones That Die in the Sun -- Defense One
The Pentagon Is Developing Disappearing Drones -- Fiscal Times
'Vampire Drones': Pentagon Planning Design Of Disappearing Drones -- HNGN
'Vampire' Drones ICARUS: Pentagon to Create UAVs That Vanish in Sun -- Sputnik

Are Gun Drones Next?

Business Insider: An 18-year-old mounted a gun to a drone and fired shots in the middle of the woods

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a 15-second YouTube video showing a semiautomatic handgun firing shots while mounted to a hovering drone, according to a statement from FAA spokesman Jim Peters.

The "flying gun" footage, uploaded by YouTube user Hogwit, was traced to 18-year-old Austin Haughwout of Clinton, Connecticut, NBC News reports.

"The FAA will investigate the operation of an unmanned aircraft system in a Connecticut park to determine if any Federal Aviation Regulations were violated," Peters said. "The FAA will also work with its law enforcement partners to determine if there were any violations of criminal statutes."

WNU Editor: I can see the military applications for such a device being used in urban areas and in war-zones where enemy fighters are deeply dug in.

The Pentagon Wants To Defend Its Soldiers From Drone Attacks

Screenshot from the Office of Naval Research YouTube video.

Baltimore Sun: U.S. military seeking ways to knock drones from the sky

* When anyone can fly a drone, how do you stop them from harming American troops?
* Drones are “game-changing” for war, and the Pentagon wants to know how to shoot them down
* Lasers, electronic weapons and even nets — the race is on to find drone-killing technology.

For years the United States has enjoyed almost exclusive use of armed drones, using them to strike enemies remotely and with impunity.

But with adversaries — including ISIS — catching up on the technology, the Pentagon is now playing defense, trying to come up with ways to knock the pilotless aircraft out of the sky.

Much of the U.S. military's research into fighting drones is secret. But contracting and budget documents show that officials are exploring a range of approaches, from the tried and true — machine guns — to cutting-edge technology that includes electronic jamming and laser cannons.

Maryland, with its complex of military installations, defense contractors and research universities, is in the thick of the fight.

Update: US military seeking ways to defend against small, portable drones -- Tweak Town

WNU Editor: The Pentagon is also looking at developing technologies to deploy and manage smaller drones to overwhelm and defeat the enemy .... Drone swarms join the Navy (FOX News).

Is A Revolution In Military Drone Technology About To Happen?

The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works hangar in Palmdale, California. Wikipedia

Loren Thompson, Forbes: Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works Is Cooking Up A Revolution In Drone Technology

In the years since the 9-11 attacks, unmanned aircraft — “drones” — have become the signature combat system of America’s global war against terrorists. According to the Air Force, its fleet of Predator and Reaper unmanned aircraft flew an average of 1000 hours per day last year over places like Iraq and Afghanistan, generating full-motion video and other reconnaissance that has become crucial to coalition military operations. The joint force routinely uses Reaper, a hunter-killer drone, to take out terrorists and insurgents where they hide because of its ability to loiter for many hours above suspected sanctuaries until enemies show themselves.

Such exploits have spawned widespread speculation that one day unmanned systems will dominate warfighting, taking the place of traditional combat systems not just in the air but on the ground and beneath the sea. For instance, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recently told an audience that “unmanned systems, particularly autonomous ones, have to be the new normal in ever-increasing areas.” Mabus believes the F-35C fighter his service is developing will be the last manned fighter to fly off carrier decks.

WNU Editor: They are certainly spending the money in developing new and better drone technology .... and with such a high-level commitment I do expect a "revolution" in drone technology to be in the pipeline .... the only question that needs to be answered is when will we see it.

Getting Ready For Drone Dogfights

An X-47B unmanned combat air system (UCAS) demonstrator performs a touch and go landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Atlantic Ocean. Photographer: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Walter/U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Bloomberg: Armed Drones Seen as Dogfight-Ready in (Not-Too-Distant) Future

As the fighter jet of the future rolls and climbs to outmaneuver an enemy plane and bore in for the kill, one thing will be missing: a pilot.

That’s the vision of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is working on an autonomous fighter programmed for aerial combat without human control. Northrop has already refueled its experimental X-47B unmanned combat jet in flight and made takeoffs and landings from an aircraft carrier.

“It’s a very dynamic, moving 3-D environment,” said Scott Winship, Northrop’s vice president of advanced warfare development. “It’s a difficult problem. But it’s something that we’re very keen to resolve.”

WNU Editor: The Chinese are already getting ready for drone warfare .... China Preparing for Drone Warfare (Washington Free Beacon). Yup .... I can see the day when we are reading reports of drones shooting down other drones and the winner will be the one who has the best drone AND software to make it happen.

Update: On a side note .... this is a sobering video discussion on a drone nightmare scenario .... Nightmare Scenario: Drones Coupled With Bioweapons (Bloomberg)

Here Comes The Drone Swarms

Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat: Drone Swarms: How the US Navy Plans to Fight Wars in 2016

‘Swarmbots’ could mean a new era in autonomous warfare.

Last week, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) released a video showcasing the U.S. Navy’s latest technology for conducting autonomous warfare: LOCUST, or the Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarming Technology program.

The LOCUST system can launch up to 30 small pre-programmed drones out of a rocket-launcher type mechanism under a minute, the video illustrates. Once airborne, the drones start communicating with each other autonomously and begin to fly in formation either to reconnoiter or attack an enemy target. “The breakthrough technology (…) utilizes information-sharing between the UAVs, enabling autonomous collaborative behavior in either defensive or offensive missions,” an ONR press release said.

The strategy behind “swarmbots” is simple: assault the adversary with a cloud of cheap and disposable drones and paralyze defenses by the sheer quantity of unmanned attackers in the air.

WNU Editor: I suspect that the big problem will be in communicating (and coordinating) all of these drones .... but if they can get over that obstacle .... I can see how such "swarms" will be able to overwhelm a target.

The Pentagon Wants Future Drones To Hunt Like Wolf Packs

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency released this artist’s rendering to help explain what its Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program could do. (DARPA image)

Washington Post: Pentagon agency wants drones to hunt in packs, like wolves

WNU Editor: Welcome to the future of warfare .... robots working independently and in concert with each other (so they do not shoot at each other) .... saturating a conflict zone with their presence and with their firepower. What needs to now be done is yo make this a reality .... and here is the tough part for the Pentagon .... to trust them that they can work on their own.

More News On The Pentagon Wanting Future Drones To Hunt Like Wolf Packs

The Drones of the Future Will Work in Flocks -- Popular Mechanics
Pentagon issues call for drones that hunt like a pack of wolves -- Defense Systems
The US Military Is Building Gangs of Autonomous Flying War Bots -- Defense One
DARPA looks to give military drones more of a mind of their own -- Washington Business Journal

BAE And Dassault Team Up To Develop Fighter Jet Drones

An artist's impression of how a new unmanned fighter drone might look

Fighter Jet Drones Move Closer As BAE And Dassault Link Up -- The Telegraph

Unmanned jet fighters move closer to reality as Britain's BAE and France's Dassault sign £120m joint research contract with governments

Drones that could eventually replace the current generation of jet fighters have moved a step closer after BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation won a £120m contract.

Britain’s BAE and France’s Dassault have signed a two-year joint contract with the UK and French governments to look at what would be needed to build such an aircraft.

The deal confirms the Anglo-French agreement announced at the Farnborough Air Show in July, and is the next step towards unmanned jets that could replace the current fourth-generation fighters - the Typhoon in Britain and the Rafale in France.

Read more ....

More News On BAE And Dassault Teaming Up To Develop Fighter Jet Drones

U.K., France Award Contracts to Develop Fighter Drone Aircraft -- WSJ
France, UK award contracts to study new combat drone -- Reuters
Britain, France Launch Feasibility Study for Joint Military Drones -- Defense News
Dassault, BAE Wins French-UK Study Contract For Next Generation Combat Aircraft -- Defense World
France & Britain Team Up For Future Advanced Stealth Combat Drone -- Jalopnik
BAE Systems, Dassault Aviation in £120-mn contract for military drones study -- Domain-B

Pentagon Offers Glimpse At Future Of Drone Fleet

Fuel-Filled Wings, Ability To Swarm: Pentagon Offers Glimpse At Future Of Drone Fleet -- Washington Times

The Pentagon is laying out a road map for the future of its drone fleet, which includes unmanned planes with fuel-filled wings that can fly more sophisticated weapons systems to more isolated hot spots and smaller drones capable of operating in unison to swarm an enemy.

A strategic document known as the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Vector takes a 25-year look from 2013 to 2038. The 101-page wish list of sorts, not bound by budget restrictions, offers insight into where the Air Force wants to expand technologies.

Some of the developments could be realized within the next several months. Contractors expect to test a reconfigured medium-altitude MQ-9 Reaper drone — a staple of the Pentagon’s intelligence and surveillance fleet — in which fuel compartments are housed in the wings, extending flight time from 27 hours to 42 hours. That means the unmanned aircraft can fly over countries where a minimal U.S. military presence makes landing and refueling difficult.

Read more ....

Update #1: Future outlook released for remotely piloted aircraft -- U.S. Air Force
Update #2: Air Force: Pilots will fly by remote on many future missions -- Defense Systems

WNU Editor: The report is here.

DARPA Unveils A New Version Of Unmanned Drones

Changing shapes: Like other drones, the vehicles can serve as unmanned flying machines but these new devices can also be used in a number of different forms

The 'Transformer' Drones Set To Hit The Front Lines: New Shape-Shifting Military Drone That Can Change Into Different Vehicles Unveiled By Defense Department -- Daily Mail

* A new drone is being built that will be able to 'shift-shapes'
* DARPA is spearheading the project along with private firm Lockheed Martin
* Will be able to fly unmanned, pick up soldiers, drop off cargo and collect intelligence all in the same vehicle

A series of transformers-style drones that can can be used to carry cargo or even evacuate troops were unveiled by the Defense Department today.

The new concept images revealed on Tuesday show that the modular flying drones could adapt depending on the particular mission.

Like other drones, the vehicles can serve as unmanned flying machines but these new devices can also be used in a number of different instances as well.

Read more ....

Update: DARPA Unveils Unmanned Drones To Assist War Zone Troops -- Red Orbit

My Comment: I know that drones will be important in future military operations .... but will these make the cut? Only time will tell.