Recently, the American company Dynetics announced the first flight tests of the promising unmanned aerial vehicle X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle. The main task of this project is to unite several UAVs into a "flock" with the possibility of independent work or executing operator commands. The first test flight ended in an accident, but in the future it is planned to correct all the shortcomings.
Promising Gremlins
The X-61A is the result of a DARPA program exploring new ways to use UAVs. In 2014, the agency launched a new program, the goal of which was to create a new UAV for work in “flocks”. Several companies and organizations participated in the program. In 2018, a group of companies led by Dynetics became the winner of the competition for the development of a drone.
Dynetics is the lead developer. Several other firms are also involved in her project. Kratos UAS in charge of the glider, Williams Int. provided the power plant, etc. Several subcontractors were involved in the development of electronics and control methods.
The result of the design work was the X-61A UAV, designed to test both the concept itself and the means of its implementation. With the help of experimental vehicles, it is planned to study the operation of equipment in all modes of operation at all stages of the flight.
The new UAVs are named after the gremlins - the characters of the English army folklore, and then the novel of the same name by R. Dahl. At the end of the book, these creatures, negatively disposed to any technique, began to help British pilots in the fight against the enemy. The new unmanned "gremlins" will have to do approximately the same.
Features of the project
The X-61A is a medium-sized aircraft with a normal aerodynamic design with a turbojet engine. He must take off with the help of a carrier aircraft, make an independent flight, and then return to his board. In the future, drones-gremlins will have to operate in large teams and jointly perform a wide range of tasks.
An experimental UAV can carry a load of approx. 70 kg, develop a speed of the order of M = 0.8 and stay in the air for up to 3 hours. The design is designed for 20 full-profile flights.
So far, the UAV does not have special equipment and is equipped only with the equipment necessary for piloting and interacting with a carrier or other drones. The aim of the current stage of the program is to work out general issues of interaction in all conditions and in all modes. In the future, the technique can be equipped with one or another device for carrying out various tests and tests.
In the current tests, the retrofitted C-130 military transport aircraft is used as a carrier. A pylon is installed under its wing for transporting UAVs, and the necessary electronic equipment is in the cockpit. In the future, the experienced carrier will receive devices for receiving the drone on board. In the future, other aircraft or heavy-class UAVs may become carriers of the "gremlins".
For VTS-based carriers, a special retractable boom with a restraining system for UAVs is offered, capable of releasing a cable with a towing device. With the help of a retractable hook, the UAV must catch the device, after which the carrier can pull it up and insert it into the cargo compartment. Similar devices are planned to be developed for other carriers in the future.
Unmanned tasks
UAVs of the X-61A type and future equipment based on them will have to work in groups-flocks of several units. It is assumed that they will be able to communicate with each other, redistributing information and tasks, as well as interact with a ground command post or aircraft in the air.
It is proposed to use "flocks" of drones in different situations to perform different tasks. Dozens of UAVs can carry out reconnaissance of large areas or carry out target designation for weapons. They can also carry weapons and use them on command from a manned aircraft. In all cases, advantages are provided over “traditional” techniques associated with a large number of UAVs and with a reduction in risks to humans.
The X-61A Gremlin UAV has another important quality. It is designed as a reusable airborne system. A specialized carrier aircraft will be able to deliver them to a given area and provide further work, and then pick them up and return to the base. All this greatly simplifies the deployment of equipment, incl. at a great distance from the bases. In fact, the combat capabilities of such a complex are not limited to the flight range of individual UAVs and are more dependent on the carrier.
However, so far we are only talking about working out the interaction of manned and unmanned vehicles. Prototypes must fly, exchange data, and build tactics together. Real reconnaissance or strikes are not yet envisaged.
First tests
According to the developer company, the first flight tests of the X-61A UAV took place back in November last year. They were conducted at the Dagway test site (Utah) using a prototype with the designation GDS-01. Also, the event involved a C-130 aircraft with special equipment and a ground command post.
The GDS-01 began flying under the carrier's wing and was unhooked in a designated area. The independent flight was consistently performed in an autonomous mode, as well as when controlled from air and ground command posts. The device was in the air for 101 minutes. The system for returning the UAV to the carrier is not yet ready, which is why the landing had to be carried out using a parachute. However, the parachute system did not work and the prototype crashed. However, the flight program was completed, and it was recognized as successful.
The project participants have already built four more UAVs of a new type and are preparing for their tests. Flights will start shortly. New experienced "gremlins" will have to show the possibility of simultaneous launch and joint flight with interaction on the principle of "flock". Also, during subsequent tests, the system for returning the UAV to the carrier will be checked.
On the threshold of the future
The current project DARPA / Dynetics X-61A GAV is considered as an experimental one and is intended to test the main technical solutions in the field of UAV flocks. This determines the specific appearance of the experimental technique and the choice of its carrier. In the future, based on the accumulated experience, a new similar complex can be developed, initially suitable for use in the Air Force.
The development of such a complex has not yet begun, but there is already a general understanding of the concept. It should include a carrier aircraft with the necessary equipment and the ability to carry a large number of UAVs, as well as the actual drones. The latter are required to have sufficiently high tactical and technical characteristics, the ability to perform various tasks and the lowest possible price.
According to Dynetics, the new technology in terms of tactics should occupy an intermediate position between cruise missiles and aircraft. The former are capable of independently attacking targets, but at the same time they are quite expensive. An aircraft strike may be cheaper, but the aircraft has to enter the enemy's air defense zone. The use of UAVs of the X-61A type will make it possible to perform a reconnaissance or combat mission with the required efficiency, but without risks for manned aircraft.
According to various estimates, the emergence of full-fledged combat-ready "gremlins", suitable for work in a "pack" and effective solution of all assigned tasks, will give the Air Force fundamentally new opportunities and dramatically increase their combat effectiveness. However, the development of such combat systems is still a matter of the distant future.
For now, American specialists from a number of organizations and companies should complete work on the experimental project X-61A Gremlins. What will be the results of this project - it will be known later. The first flights of the new prototypes will take place in the near future, and then new experiments will begin.
