Drone launched from another drone in U.S. Army test
NewsFebruary 01, 2023
SAN DIEGO, California. A small uncrewed aerial system (UAS) was launched from another UAS -- the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range -- in a U.S. Army test at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah recently, according to a statement from manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
GA flew a survivable air-launched effect (ALE) vehicle known as Eaglet from an MQ-1 during the test, which was jointly funded by GA and the Army. GA built the UAS to be a "low-cost, survivable UAS" with the versatility to be launched from a drone like the Gray Eagle, or a rotary aircraft, or from ground vehicles, the statement reads.
The intent is to provide "extended reach of sensors and increased lethality while providing survivability for manned aircraft," the statement adds.
A Gray Eagle can carry Eaglet for "thousands of kilometers" before launching the vehicle, controlling through "unmanned-unmanned teaming or as a component of advanced teaming command and control concepts," the company says.
