A FLYING aircraft carrier? DARPA –
the US military’s think-tank for all things weird and wonderful – wants
you to help it with its latest scheme. The call for ideas, issued earlier this week, has some specific requirements.
First, they don’t want the enormous – and impossible – flying ships as seen in Dr Who and The Avengers. Though that would be cool.
Instead,
they want wacky ideas that may just work when it comes to attaching a
fleet of drones to a large manned aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules,
C-17 Globemaster or the enormous C-5 Galaxy.
We want to find ways
to make smaller aircraft more effective, and one promising idea is
enabling existing large aircraft, with minimal modification, to become
‘aircraft carriers in the sky’,” said Dan Patt, DARPA program manager.
To save lives.
“Military air operations typically rely on large, manned, robust
aircraft, but such missions put these expensive assets—and their
pilots—at risk,” the Request for Information reads.
But most light, cheap combat drone aircraft generally lack the range and speed of their piloted cousins.
“These complementary traits suggest potential benefits in a blended approach—one in which larger aircraft would carry, launch and recover multiple small UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems),” DARPA says.
But most light, cheap combat drone aircraft generally lack the range and speed of their piloted cousins.
The solution? Blend the best of both worlds.
“These complementary traits suggest potential benefits in a blended approach—one in which larger aircraft would carry, launch and recover multiple small UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems),” DARPA says.
The problem? How.
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| Big plans ... A 1930s magazine article examining the concept of fighter-carrying blimps. |
Flying aircraft carriers are not new. The idea emerged in the 1920s
when blimps were used to launch and recover biplanes via large hooks.
The concept of “parasite” aircraft arose again during the 1950s
following desperate German experiments during World War II.
The ideas – while they flew – never took off.
 |
Air arm... Biplane fighters hooked to the underside of the British Royal Navy airship in 1926.
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Flying drones from large conventional aircraft, while more useful, would be much more difficult.
Unless someone has a one of those “Doh, why didn’t we think of that” kind of brainwaves. And DARPA’s requirements aren’t easy:
Unless someone has a one of those “Doh, why didn’t we think of that” kind of brainwaves. And DARPA’s requirements aren’t easy:
- They want to be able to modify existing aircraft.
- They want detailed modelling, simulations and feasibility analysis.
- And, of course, they want it cheap.
- Oh, they want it up and running within four years.
But DARPA is hoping some of its own existing research programs will help – such as giving drones artificial intelligences equivalent to that of birds, enabling them to fly in extremely coordinated “flocks”.
- And, of course, they want it cheap.
- Oh, they want it up and running within four years.
But DARPA is hoping some of its own existing research programs will help – such as giving drones artificial intelligences equivalent to that of birds, enabling them to fly in extremely coordinated “flocks”.
You have until November 26 to respond.
