Successful Trial Accomplished with UAV Swarm Technology

A small fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles was successfully controlled by a US warfighter supplemented with a military radio and a laptop.

Earlier in 2012, flight trials were carried out in Oregon, during which a single source directed the Boeing ScanEagle UAVs. These tests will foster hovering of UAVs swarms over the battlefield in future, through which relevant tactical data can be acquired more rapidly and efficiently.

Ground-based US troop having less expertise in operating and controlling UAV forms part of the flight trials. Association with multiple UAVs equips the troops with tasks, followed by data extraction, eliminating the requirement for modern, advanced ground control station.

The technology developed by the Applied Physics Laboratory at John Hopkins University plays a vital role in these UAV swarm trial demonstrations. With the help of these demonstrations, UAVs can function similar to insect swarms. Exchange of data takes place while the UAV launches in the air, leading to high- speed and –efficiency tasks.

With effective adoption for UAV swarm technology control trials, the Boeing ScanEagle design is a small drone that made its first flight in 2002. Featuring a series of visual recording equipment and capable of streaming data ranging over a 100+ km, the Boeing ScanEagle design serves several applications for the Royal Canadian Air Force, US Marine Corps, and also used in other military services.

With more than 20 hour endurance, the ScanEagle can effectively cruise at 60 knots, without the need for traditional airbase setting for functional support. ScanEagle takes-wings off the end of a launcher and trapped by a hook system during the end of its flights.

Until July 2011, the overall flight missions completed by global in-service ScanEagles amounts to 500,000 h in length.

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