C130's and DARPA drones

Someone told me he is seeing C130's fly low and slow down I-85 north of Atlanta. He sees one or two almost every night at about 6 or 7pm. He also said there was something hanging down from the C130.

Someone else in the area also saw some C130's and got a pic. The pic was posted on a local SM website. It turns out that the C130's may be part of the Gremlins drone program.

A few of them started posting stuff about it on the local website and the thread got canned. Disappeared never to be seen again. The website does send out emails about the threads to lure you back to the site. He still has the email even though the thread is gone. Personal info was redacted.



DARPA lets research contract for Gremlins program to launch overwhelming drone swarms

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 24 March 2016. U.S. U.S. Air Force researchers are moving forward with a project to use C-130 aircraft to launch drone swarms of networked and cooperating unmanned aircraft for electronic attack and reconnaissance missions from standoff ranges.

Officials of the air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a $3.9 million contract Wednesday to the Composite Engineering Inc. Unmanned Systems Division in Sacramento Calif., for the first phase of the Gremlins program, which relies on relatively inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in volley quantities to saturate enemy defenses.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Refueling hoses, not Gremlins. They're built and test flown out of Marietta, which is only 40 miles by road. Gremlins won't be tested anywhere near a city. They're testing at Dugway in Utah.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I thought about that, but why would they fly them so low and right by an interstate? I see them all the time in Marietta (without hoses hanging).

It could be that drones or a drone is being used for real tasks and not just testing. I doubt it would be a swarm of Gremlins. They could just be using one drone and just the C130 part of the Gremlins drone program.

With all that is going on I have to consider it. More than likely you are right and they are just flying some hose, low and slow.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

It's a test flight out of the factory. They're testing the stability of the hoses at refueling speeds either as they head out or back in.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Well if that is true...

I hope they didn't find any gremlins in the hoses.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Those hoses were both expensive and a pain in the ass. A Canadian aircraft was coming in, and the hose on one side ran out and wouldn't retract. They had to cut it, and wound up losing a couple hundred thousand dollars in hose and basket.