“Airborne recovery is complex,” says Calhoun. An X-61 was also destroyed when its parachute failed to deploy during an initial test flight in 2019. The refurbished UAV was recovered on the ground.įive examples of the experimental X-61 drone were built as part of the Gremlins programme.

“Such a capability will likely prove to be critical for future distributed air operations.”įour flights were conducted in October to gather data on aircraft performance, aerodynamic interactions between the recovery bullet and the UAV, and the dynamics of making contact with the UAV during retrieval, says the agency.Īs part of the final experiment, DARPA retrieved and then refurbished an X-61 and conducted a second flight within “24 working-hours”. “This recovery was the culmination of years of hard work and demonstrates the feasibility of safe, reliable airborne recovery,” says Lieutenant Colonel Paul Calhoun, programme manager for Gremlins in DARPA’s tactical technology Office. The flight tests at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah validated all autonomous formation flying positions and safety features of the X-61 system, says DARPA. Decade of Airline Excellence Awards 2020.

X wing cockpit 3d model