DARPA to Demo Revolutionary VTOL Drone Capabilities This Month
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is set to test five vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones later this month.
The demonstration is part of DARPA’s AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) program to develop long-endurance VTOL drones to operate from naval vessels and austere environments.
Without their launch and recovery gear, the under-330-pound (150 kilograms) platforms are expected to demonstrate superior capabilities in their weight category in the flight tests, known as EVADE or Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration.
Varying in capabilities, the participants’ minimum endurance is 12 hours at 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers/115 miles) with a 60-pound (22 kilograms) payload.
“ANCILLARY fills a critical gap, bringing operational capabilities comparable to much larger – Group 4 and 5 – drones to smaller units, such as Army, Marine Corps, special operations units or a ship’s company,” DARPA Program Manager Phillip Smith said.
“These drones can be deployed without additional infrastructure or equipment, even in austere environments – offering a game-changing toolset for warfighters.”
Group 4 and 5 drones have a maximum takeoff weight of over 1,320 pounds (599 kilograms).
Shortened Timeline
The demonstration accelerates ANCILLARY program Phase 2 by over a year.
Specific requirements, such as maximum physical dimensions and autonomous takeoff/landing in high-sea states, have been postponed to achieve the shortened timeline.
“With EVADE, our focus is on speed of development, not on first flight perfection,” Smith said.
“The faster we can get these demonstration aircraft airborne, the quicker we can identify and resolve any issues, and ultimately, deliver game-changing capabilities to our warfighters in the field.”
Streamlining for Rapid Deployment
To accelerate production timelines, the EVADE performers — AeroVironment, Griffon Aerospace, Karem Aircraft, Method Aeronautics, and Sikorsky — will leverage the Sikorsky MATRIX flight autonomy algorithms for flight control and navigation requirements.
Developed in DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System program, MATRIX will minimize and simplify user engagement during flight.
Furthermore, the platforms will be equipped with the US Navy’s payload management software, Battle Management System, which interfaces with the Tactical Assault Kit available to every warfighter.
Developed by the Air Force Research Lab, the Tactical Assault Kit is used for tactical information feeds, various analytics, and visualizations.
The integrated suite of tools will allow the ANCILLARY aircraft to directly share information with individual troops, removing the need for dedicated ground control stations.
“EVADE is designed to democratize air power across the military, empowering the smallest operational units to directly receive and control an air asset when needed,” Smith explained.
“We’re testing five potential mission sets and payloads to showcase the breadth of capabilities EVADE can provide: logistics, communications relay, weapons delivery, synthetic aperture radar, and ISR/RSTA (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and target acquisition).”
