Their technology was praised during the first “Best Drone Fighter” competition last February. Chief Warrant Officer Robert Reed, head of the innovation team at the 28th Infantry Division behind this “revolutionary” drone, shared details last Thursday at the US Army Aviation Fighter Summit.
The unmanned vehicle, equipped with a robotic arm and powered by artificial intelligence, was designed to locate and retrieve enemy drones. The goal is clear: extract data from their onboard computers and conduct in-depth analysis.
“We wanted to design something that was not an ordinary military-type system, something that would excite the industry, that they could potentially take up and develop on a larger scale,” explained the military personnel to Defense One. According to the specialized media, the idea for this recovery drone sprouted “over a few drinks” after the innovation team from the 28th Infantry Division was invited to participate in the competition.
Their thinking led the soldiers of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard to imagine an unmanned system, called Project RED (Recovery Exploitation Drone), capable of locating and recovering enemy drones.
“We are currently collaborating with the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to improve our product, increase its autonomy, and improve the stability of flight controls,” detailed Chief Warrant Officer Robert Reed.
Talon Avionics has also developed a defense system based on interceptor drones. Weighing 700 grams with its launch tube, the acoustic-guided interceptor drone is equipped with 16 microphones. These sensors allow it to scan the airspace in all directions to locate enemy drones.
