Drone Swarms Packed Into Unassuming Containers Sought By DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is asking for concepts for drones with a high degree of autonomous operation, along with remotely-operated containerised systems to launch, recover and otherwise support them. What DARPA is really after is a pairing that works as a largely self-sustaining "autonomous constellation" capable of supporting networked swarms of as many as 500 drones at once.
A constellation like that, incorporating drones configured for a wide array of roles including surveillance, reconnaissance and kinetic strike, could be deployed into contested areas or positioned deep behind enemy lines.
The precedent already exists
Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb covert drone attacks on several Russian airbases last year, and Israel's near-field attacks from within Iran during the opening phases of the 12 Day War, have already demonstrated the effectiveness of the capability DARPA is seeking. TWZ has highlighted the value of this kind of launch capability on land and at sea several times before, including after the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit put out a very similar call for proposals earlier this year.
DARPA's Tactical Technology Office first issued its request for information for the containerised drone swarm capability in April, and has updated the contracting notice several times since; the latest version was posted yesterday. From what has been shared so far, the project has not been given a name.
What is wrong with what exists today
"Existing commercial, airborne Group 1-3 platforms are limited in endurance, payload capacity, and onboard electrical auxiliary power. When operated as constellations, they typically require substantial infrastructure and basing area [sic] for deployment and recovery. These constellations typically require human involvement to recover, recharge/refuel, and launch again, lacking full autonomy necessary to achieve sustained operations spanning days or longer," the current version of the contracting notice explains.
"The landscape of current platform technologies has broad limitations that require evolution to achieve high-endurance constellations consisting of drones with meaningful payload Size Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) staged from fully autonomous containers capable of complete mission-cycle management inclusive of launch, sustainment/swap-out, and recovery."
What Groups 1 to 3 covers
The U.S. military breaks drones into five categories. Collectively, drones in Groups 1 and 2 can have maximum weights of up to 55 pounds, fly up to 3,500 feet, and reach top speeds of 250 knots. Group 3 is a very broad middle tier covering designs that weigh anywhere from 56 to 1,320 pounds and can reach 18,000 feet, again at speeds of 250 knots or less. Together, Groups 1 through 3 span everything from small quadcopters to long-range one-way attack munitions.
The requirement, in DARPA's words
"DARPA has identified an exigent need for highly deployable, versatile-SWaP Group 1-3 platforms, operating in autonomous constellations that are stored within, deployed from, recovered in, and managed by a fully autonomous container, to support a variety of payloads and missions in GPS-denied environments," the contracting notice adds.
"Advancements in low-SWaP technologies enable constellations comprising a variety of novel payloads, each requiring dedicated power and weight, but capable of operating in synchrony across the constellation. Constellation populations may comprise up to 500 platforms (number may vary as a function of payload type). Each platform will be equipped with a subsystem or independent payload system with the potential to achieve high operational availability for the combined system over multiple-day periods."