U.S. Army Tests Swarms of Consumer Grade Drones in Major Exercise

November 2nd, 2015

Awake Goy

U.S. Army Tests Swarms of Consumer Grade Drones in Major Exercise

November 2nd, 2015

The U.S. Army has for the first time tested swarms of consumer drones during a major military training exercise and determined the low-cost technology is at a stage where it could be used offensively.

Off-the-shelf drones have brought what was previously complex and expensive technology into the reach of consumers, and the military was curious to see how much of a threat that might pose.

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In one exercise, for example, a swarm of drones with cameras on board was deployed in support of opposing forces in an attempt to discover the defensive positions of friendly soldiers.

The Army also tested flooding a chunk of airspace with a drone swarm to generate a disruptive radar signature.

“It has been proved that consumer [drones] can be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, distraction tactics and, in the future, the ability to drop small munitions,” said Barry Hatchett with the Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation.

On its own, a consumer drone doesn’t pose a huge threat or offer much in the way of an advantage on the battlefield. It’s range is limited, it can’t lift much, it isn’t defended against radio jamming and can be easily brought down with a shot from a rifle.

But they are cheap.

A military drone, like the RQ-16 T-Hawk, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars — putting them well out of the reach of most people.

But for a fraction of that price, a handful of consumer drones can be deployed simultaneously. When that happens, they become more viable as a weapon.

And unlike complicated military drones, almost no training is required to use consumer models because software takes away most of the complexity of flying.

Their low cost and relatively low sophistication also gives them an element of disposability, allowing them to be deployed with less worry about their potential loss.

The Army is worried that a swarm of small drones could easily overwhelm a small defensive position because they would represent too many targets moving too fast to successfully repel.

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