Navy Testing Use of Balloons and Subs to Covertly Deliver Drones
- Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:39pm by
Liz Klimas
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The Navy is looking into and conducting tests to launch unmanned aerial vehicles that could be more stealthy than simply flying the drone to a set location or shipping it on a flatbed truck.
IEEE Spectrum reports that the Navy could soon be using high-altitude balloons or submarines to deliver drones.
According to Aviation Week, the Navy conducted a demonstration in September — information from it was just released this month — of autonomous deployment of Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft (CICADA) vehicles. The demonstration dropped eight balloons from as high as 57,000 feet that landed within 15 feet of their intended target.
The balloon carries these drones to altitude then drops them. (Photo: NRL)
Naval Research Laboratory has more:
The [Autonomous Deployment Demonstration] ADD concept is to enable small unmanned air vehicles (UAV) equipped with sensor payloads to be launched from aircraft (manned or unmanned), balloons, or precision guided munitions, and dispersed in selectable patterns around designated areas.
“The mission profile is straight forward,” says Chris Bovais, aeronautical engineer and flight test coordinator, NRL Vehicle Research Section. “The CICADA is dropped from another airborne platform, flies to a single waypoint, and then enters an orbit. It descends in that orbit until it reaches the ground.”
The NRL developed CICADA Mark III UAV is a glider; it has no propulsion source onboard, therefore. It requires another airborne platform to get it to an altitude such that it can glide to its destination. Its lack of a motor and small size, make it nearly undetectable in flight.
Tempest UAV releasing a CICADA Mark III glider. (Photo: NRL)
IEEE spectrum explains further that what NRL created is essentially “a high-altitude weather balloon with a drone stapled to it, with drones stapled to it:”
Nope, that’s not a typo: The Naval Research Laboratory has been using weather balloons to carry a medium-sized Tempest UAV up to 60,000 feet, and the Tempest UAV itself is carrying a pair of tiny little CICADA (Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft ) drones underneath its wings.
CICADA Mark III autonomous glider. (Photo: NRL)
In addition to balloon launches, according to Aviation Week, the Navy has also awarded a contract to Raytheon to deploy UAVs from a submarine. Raytheon developed a submerged launch vehicle that will bring the UAV out of the submarine’s trash disposal and eject the drone into the air once it reaches the surface of the water.
Process for how the submerged launch vehicle will bring the drone to the surface of the water. (Photo: Raytheon via Aviation Week)
Aviation Week reports that this method will be used to launch AeroVironment’s Switchblade.
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tharpdevenport
Posted on December 31, 2011 at 9:52pmYes, no terrorist jut laying back and watching the sky while waiting for infidels or waring tribal factions, would be scanning the sky for unmanned drone. Hell no. They certainly would see a giant weather balloon with a black and yellow plane at the bottom in a blue sky. Or a moonlite white-colored weather ballon traveling against the clear starry night (since there isn’t light pollution on most of their areas there).
Report Post »Blade Wilson
Posted on December 31, 2011 at 4:16pmHey, some times “Low-Tech” is the best way to get something done
Report Post »confederacyofdunces
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:26pmAs an RC pilot (taking a break) I find all of this interesting. Most of these aircraft look fairly ordinary other than the sensors they carry and possibly the guidance package.
Report Post »MYHEROISRON
Posted on December 31, 2011 at 7:05am… Rube Goldberg …
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on December 31, 2011 at 11:34amAs a RC pilot I concur. It still is amazing what uses there are out of there for unmaned drones.
Report Post »schroeder123
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:49pmGuide the balloon over target ? B S
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 4:32pmAgreed. The sentence that reads: “The demonstration dropped eight balloons from as high as 57,000 feet that landed within 15 feet of their intended target.“ should probably read ”The demonstration dropped eight CICADAs from balloons as high as 57,000 feet that landed within 15 feet of their intended target.” Otherwise, it’s nonsense.
Report Post »JEANNIEMAC
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:11pmIf 2012 results in a victory for the left, Americans should move to the last frontier on the planet, Alaska.
Report Post »Once, there, join the secessionist movement and form a new nation under strict observance of the Constitution. Let those who want to be serfs of the elites stay behind.
Chuck Stein
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 4:33pmAnd this relates to the story, how?
Report Post »MeMadMax
Posted on December 31, 2011 at 3:11amUh, no…
Report Post »I’m heading for a deserted island somewhere in the pacific….
If history is any lesson, economic strife leads to wars….
BetterDays
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:26pmAs I type, the hummingbird drone snaps high resolution pictures from my windowsill. The critter cam attached to a look alike cockroach scuttled across my kitchen counter capturing the physical evidence that I had a non GMO breakfast and has reported that fact toher highness Michelle Obama for further determination. The government mandated, factory implanted back doors on my iPad allow Janet scugly Napalitono to read what I‘m posting before I post it and she’s planning my future FEMA residency as I type. I live in a tightly controlled police state, the gps tracker and the never ending red light cam snoops on every move I make. But hey, I live in America , land of the once free and home of the slave.
Report Post »We are so not free, and like it could get worse and it is daily. Will Obama sign NADA and sentence millions of Americans to secret deaths in enslavement camps today? My money says he already has.
Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:55pmMake it stop! Make it stop! Too much truth! Make it stop!
Report Post »wewantchillywilly
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:22pmcool. now lets give this technology to china and russia. you know, to RESET our relationship with them. right obama? hilary?
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:14pmThe problem is, the Criminal Federal Govt. Will be launching them against us…. We are the biggedt threat to them and by far they are the biggest threat to us… Not assbackward camelhumpers….
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:25pmOne simple countermeasure.
Highly-directional electromagnetic pulse.
The secret is how to make it highly- directional… and I know the secret!
Hint: It’s the opposite of a dipole antenna!
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:37pmAgreed. The new battlefield has been declared. It is the USA and it was declared by our POS Government.
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:57pm@V-Man Mace:
Report Post »You do know that some of us are Ham Radio operators, right?
qzak491
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:11pmHow do they guide the balloons to get the drone to the area. If the balloon just takes the drone straight up what’s the point, that thing should be visible for miles whereas if the drone took off from a runway who would see it. The sub launch I can understand, completely conceiled till launch, but the balloon?????
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:46pmEver tried to see a weather balloon at nearly 10 miles altitude? Ain’t happening with the naked eye. That is how it is stealthy. This is not so dissimilar from what the Japanese did in WWII. They released balloons from Their mainland with bombs attached. They even had timers and ballast weights that would drop to keep the balloons high enough to be stealthy as they traveled to America.
Report Post »knighttemplar999
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:07pmI was suspicious that a poo I saw in a public toilet was a drone so I tried to grab it and sure enough it swam back up the sewer pipes. A word to the wise, when you‘re grunting and groaning in the bathroom stall you may be on camera by one of the government’s stealth poos.
Report Post »Evil_Conservative
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:55pmProbe Droids! Awesome!
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:51pmget off this site,we don’t like or want thieves and hacks here.try that on someone you know.
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:50pmthe navy better learn how to do a lot of things with balloons and solar power, with this administration trying to destroy every aspect of our military,it want be long until they have to start using rocks for ammo and kites for spy satellites,and balloons to carry troops.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:46pmThe “Military Mind”… never ceases to Amaze me!
A Vet
Report Post »Clownshoes
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:43pmGlad they keep this top secret. Wouldn’t want our adversaries to know about all our deployment methods or anything…
Report Post »garyM
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:02pmOh we give all our secrets away now except “fast and furious”!
Report Post »iblvingd
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:12pmIf they would follow in the foot steps of “Fast & Furious” they would then qualify as covert….only the US citzens would not know.
This is Obamas transparent military at its finest! Obamas ideas of being transparent is for everyone but Americans to know what is going on in the US Government.
Vote out Obama and his corrupt congressman! Better still lets impeach them all!
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:57pmDidn’t the Navy coin the phrase: Loose lips sink ships. I am glad the world now knows our new delivery systems.
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