Secretive Pentagon Office Developing Next-Generation Swarming Drones
By Jon Harper
A secretive Pentagon office is aggressively developing a swarming micro-drone technology that could soon be transitioned to the Air Force, the office’s director said Sept. 8.
The program, known as Perdix, would enable the U.S. military to launch Coke bottle-sized unmanned aerial vehicles out of fighter aircraft to conduct swarm missions.
“When the pilot hits the dispense flare button, flares don’t come out — the UAVs do,” explained William Roper, head of the Defense Department’s strategic capabilities office.
The propeller-driven drones, equipped with foldable wings, are contained inside a canister equipped with a parachute so that they can survive the launch and initial descent.
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