Once again “The Herk” to the rescue! MAGA!
Too bad that DARPA didn’t move when this was first demonstrated in 2004.
The first step of any program is the concept demonstration where you take current technology and see is currently possible and what needs to be developed. DARPA leadership said it would be 10 years before anything could be done then Mr. Wynne, then Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, showed the “experts” of an airborne demo already accomplished by CIVILIANS using a USN Drone and a C-130 near West Palm Beach, Florida.
I was lucky enough to have a few of the photos sent to me by my friends.
The 2004 demo confirmed the problems with the concept that existed in the mid 1930s (USS Macon - ZRS-5 and Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk) and confirmed by the USAF in 1949 (B-36 and XF-85) and again 1952 - 1956 (FICON and B-36 testing and limited operational use by SAC).
The 2004 effort had it’s DARPA funds unexpectedly cut in half part way through the flight demo phase. It cost the small, but extremely experienced, company $ 500,000.
It was rebriefed in 2015 to AFSOC leadership (I was there) and AFSOC started pushing the effort HARD! DARPA then issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) with an extremely short notice. Again, I got involved and some limited pro bono work.
That 2015 RFP is the baseline for this effort.
Unfortunately DARAP’s newest program is only half way there - the UAV’s range requirements aren’t operationally effective; something I knew back in 2005 based on modeling and simulation.
There’s much more on this game changing effort but NOT on this forum. - 30 -