Dynetics Wins Gremlins C-130 Launched & Recovered UAV Contract From DARPA

a reply to: tadaman

Helicarriers man.

There's some wonky reporting in that first Flight Global article.

This should be good to go soon as far as Dem/Val. Waiting for China Lake, or testing is going to be moved. Depends on the patience level compared to the cost of relocating and squeezing into another range's schedule/space.

a reply to: RadioRobert


This says they are looking at squeezing into Dugway. Maybe by the end of the year. Hints some of the demonstrations in support of the project may still be flown out of China Lake.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: anzha

Interesting. I have pics of that mothership at Blythe. I've seen it there several times.

Blythe is just North of Cibola Range (part of YPG). One of the runways is a bit longer than Laguna's (LGF) two. Also, space at Laguna is at a premium. So sometimes people (especially contractors) end up flying out of Blythe.

That particular bird is owned by the guys at TBM. I think they are down to three -- they have another company (TASCO) that has several more. TBM started with water-bombers, and has moved to concentrate on flight testing of.... basically anything you can test on or out of a C-130. They have occasionally done some movie work, and I saw them set up a commercial once, but I have no idea for whom. Never saw the commercial on air.

MFFS (part of JFK Swicks) and international partners also contract out of Blythe. In fact, if you're really lucky, you might catch a C-130 HAHO or HALO into Blythe itself to "capture" the airport on one of the approved live ranges just north west of the runway, or even a JPAD exercise to the north east.

I keep telling you YPG is a hopping place...

a reply to: RadioRobert

The RAF drops in there for jump training occasionally. I've seen them spend several months operating out of there during the winter. They have a couple interesting aircraft based out of there too.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I haven't seen RAF there, but there have been number of partners in and out there. Wouldn't surprise me.

a reply to: RadioRobert

They spent several months there at the end of 2018 I think it was. They rotated a couple of their anniversary tail C-130s through. Made for good pics.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Their parachute demo team -- name escapes me at the moment, Red something or other not Arrows-- trains at MFFS, so it's not uncommon at all to see them (and like I said, lots of others) in the area. Just haven't personally seen them at Blythe.

What is the mission for these things?

a reply to: Forensick

They'll fly in a swarm for ISR, strike, and other missions.

a reply to: Zaphod58

If Strike, then why do they need to dock to the mothership? Do they carry their own munitions?

a reply to: Forensick

Because they're launched and recovered by the mothership. They're not long range aircraft.

a reply to: Forensick

Current flight test program is not mentioning anything about kinetic strike, but every one and their mother knows it's pretty easy to add that capability. Main focus will be ISR and EW.

originally posted by: anzha
a reply to: tadaman

FWIW, they call the large NRO spy sats 'battlestars.'

For the most part, the NRO is sat focused.

Air breathers are extremely useful, but often handled by a different union(s) so to speak...

But information and imagery is freely exchanged between those that need it to do their jobs.

We may not be as organized or synchronized as we could be, but we're not stupid. Or at least, not as stupid as in days gone by...

www.janes.com...

Multiple flights were completed in July over Dugway. They tested a recovery system to safely retrieve and store the vehicles, as well as autonomous join up and formation flight with a C-130 at 125 feet.

www.darpa.mil...

The C-130 is probably the most versatile, reliable and capable aircraft we have ever had.
Even it's variations are built around a solid design.
Long live that bird.

if you want to use an asset like the C-130 as a carrier against a near peer, you need to at the very least double the combat range of the drone. And make it at least LO, those things will last about one minute inside the Chinese A2AD umbrella.