Dynetics will prove whether it can launch and recover four small unmanned aerial vehicles from a C-130 in 30 minutes during phase three of the Pentagon's Gremlins program, beating out General Atomics for a $32.5 million contract this week.
Gremlins is run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The program's goal is to develop a midair launch and recovery system that enables swarms of low-cost, attritable small UAVs with advanced payloads to dock on manned aircraft. Phase three formally began April 17.
Dynetics' airborne recovery system is similar to a refueling operation, Tim Keeter, deputy program manager and chief engineer, said during an April 18 call with reporters. The winch-like system extends from a C-130 to catch UAVs under the aircraft, which turn off before the capture device mechanically raises and stores the Gremlins inside the manned plane. Keeter noted the Air Force will not need to modify the C-130 because Dynetics' system rolls onto the aircraft and launches UAVs out of the back bay.
"The Dynetics solution involves deploying a towed, stabilized capture device below and away from the C-130," the company said in an April 18 press release. "The key technologies can be straightforwardly adapted to allow under-wing recovery and bay recovery by other cargo aircraft."
Testers will demonstrate Gremlins' flight behavior with ground landings first, using a parachute to safely lower the UAV. The parachute will not be used in the C-130 flight demonstration or on an operational system.
Keeter added they've worked through stabilizing the docking station and have a handle on how airflow around the plane -- one of the program's major challenges -- affects small aircraft trying to return. Partner company Kratos designed a UAV from scratch that is best suited to swarm recovery operations, he said.
DARPA wants the Gremlins concept to use swarms of low-cost, attritable UAVs that can be recycled about 20 times, with less than 24 hours between missions, Inside the Air Force previously reported. Keeter has suggested that adding more UAVs to a "volley" will make the program more affordable, and a General Atomics official last year said the company generally believed volleys consist of more than 16 UAVs in a swarm.
Gremlins aircraft are expected to fly 300 to 500 nautical miles away from the C-130 and loiter, although that radius will likely increase as the system enters operations and technology improves. Keeter told ITAF last year Dynetics prefers a completely autonomous system, but the UAVs could be flown manually.
While the third-phase demonstration will feature a C-130 traveling at 150 knots, the program envisions UAVs will eventually fly on other aircraft and could launch from elsewhere on a platform like pylons. The system could be repurposed for fighter, bomber and other cargo aircraft, Keeter said. Others have suggested the technology could be adapted to pair small UAVs with unmanned aircraft.
ITAF previously reported Air Force Special Operations Command is the target organization for Gremlins' first operational flights.
"The Gremlins system also [has] benefits in both contested environments and low-intensity, routine operations," Dynetics said. "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."
Keeter said that when military customers look to transition the project to a program of record, they will have options for how many aircraft the system can reel in and how quickly. Depending on their needs, a buyer can specify different payload arrangements, UAV speeds, avionics configurations and more.
"DARPA has worked with us to deliver a number of experimental-phase options . . . that will allow us to basically bridge the gap between a technology demonstration and an initial operational capability, depending on the stakeholders that come to the table with this," Keeter said. "They'll be able to select what they want to see advanced post-phase three or maybe even in parallel with phase three if it doesn't interfere with our objectives."
Phase three lasts 21 months and could cost up to $38.6 million, though Keeter said DARPA awarded a slightly smaller contract to nudge Dynetics to save money. The company reached a level of detail akin to that needed for a critical design review and is ready to begin fabrication, but will continue testing new features of the roll-on recovery system as the software and hardware mature.
The Pentagon's ultimate goal is to field aircraft and sensors that collaborate in the air to conduct operations as a group, and the Air Force is thinking through swarm command-and-control concepts and other network technologies needed to bring the vision to life.
Losing out on Gremlins doesn't spell the end of General Atomics' foray into small UAVs. ITAF previously reported General Atomics viewed the Gremlins program as a foundation for a small unmanned systems portfolio rolling out in the next few years. The company last year described plans to add recoverable, airborne UAVs to its MQ-9 Reaper and stealthier Avenger as well as across the Air Force inventory and Navy platforms like the P-8 Poseidon and future MQ-25.