'Swarm pilots' will need new tactics—and entirely new training methods: Air Force special-ops chief
AFSOC will expand on groundbreaking experiments this summer, Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind says in interview.
PATRICK TUCKER | MAY 10, 2024
TAMPA—Experiments with ever-larger drone swarms are revealing a need for new concepts of operations and new ways of training human operators, the Air Force Special Operations Forces Command says.
In the next few months, AFSOC will expand upon a groundbreaking December experiment that saw a single drone crew guide not one but three MQ-9 Reapers and even to air-launch a smaller Group 2 drone as part of the command’s Adaptive Airborne Enterprise effort. Now, the command aims to repeat the experiment with even more drones—and add the ability to hand off control to troops in the field.
“The hope with the summer now is: how can we start to bring those aspects together and then work with our joint force teammates? And now how do we manage multiple MQ-9s air-launching a small number of” smaller drones, “and then hand that swarm off to a joint force teammate, whether in a terrestrial or maritime situation?” Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind said in an interview at the SOF Week conference here.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2024/05/swarm-pilots-will-need-new-tacticsand-entirely-new-training-methods-air-force-special-ops-chief/396477/
