Washington : The Department of Defense in US is set to give a shattering blow to its enemies as it has successfully managed to test the ‘swarm drone technology’. The US Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, has given information that in the month of October last year, successful tests based on swarm technology were conducted on 103 ‘micro-drones’. A video relating to this was also featured in the program ’60 Minutes’ on ‘CBS NEWS’ channel. For the last several years, the US Department of Defense has been conducting research on this technology which is based on ‘collective intelligence’ considered inherent in ants and birds. However, it is the first occasion in the entire world, that a defense sector could successfully conduct tests on such a large scale.
A report, with detailed information of the tests on ‘swarm micro-drones’ has been released by the US Department of Defense. According to the report, the test was completed last year in the month of October in China Lake region in the district of California. The test consisted in releasing 103 ‘Perdix micro-drones’ measuring only six inches in the air, from three ‘F/A – 18 Super Hornet’ fighter planes. Radio transmitters, Receivers and Cameras were accomodated in this ‘Perdix Micro-drones’. The Defense Department informed that the test on 103 ‘ micro-drones ‘successfully demonstrated’ collaborative decision making’, ‘adaptive formation flying’ and ‘self healing’ behaviours under Advanced Swarm Behaviours. The test will bring revolutionary changes in sectors like ‘Advanced Automated Arms Technology’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence’, claims the US Department of Defense.
‘War is an extremely complex structure. Perdix is not a preprogrammed component. It works like collective organisms organised to function as one brain. This is important for decision-making and to adapt to each other in a collectivity. Each perdix drone contacts, communicates and co operates with the other. This collectivity has no leader and can adapt with ease to any drone entering or exiting the group’. In these words, William Roper, the head of ‘Strategic Capabilities Office’ explained the functioning of the ‘Swarm Drone Test’.
It has been informed by the US Department of Defense that this successful test will play an important role in future war strategy planning . The US Defense Sector is now focussing efforts to develop small, low cost and autonomous systems which will function like the bigger system. Roger claims that in future war fields, a man can stay away and with the aid of these autonomous technology like ‘micro-drones’ take quick decisions and finish the task .
It is believed that this ‘Perdix micro-drones‘ developed by using ‘swarm technology’ may be used for confusing enemy’s air technology, jamming enemy’s radar technology, for large scale surveillance and for launching attacks. The experts report that the success of this technology would bring about a reduction in the defense expenditure to a large extent.
‘Perdix Swarm-drones’ were earlier designed and developed by the students of the ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology’. After 2013, the research scientists and other experts from ‘MIT Lincoln Labs’ made modifications for defense usage and developed a new version. The software and hardware of this technology is being continuously updated and the one used in the October test was the sixth generation of the initial model. Earlier in 2014, the ‘Perdix Drones’ based on ‘swarm technology’ had been tested at ‘Edward’s Airforce Base’ and during military exercises in Alaska.
This ‘micro-drone’ travelling at a speed of Mach 0.6 (sound speed) can remain operational even at low temperatures as low as -10 degrees celsius. The support of Navy’s ‘Air Systems Command’ was also taken while testing ‘Perdix Swarm-drones’. After successful completion of the test last year, a production of these will commence at a commercial level for which the cooperation of ‘Defense Industrial Unit-Experimental’, a unit of the Defense Department will be taken. The US Department of Defense made it clear that the production aims at producing 1,000 ‘Perdix micro-drones’ in a single batch of production.
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Swarm drones can play very important role in defense sector in near future. All such drones can work together using the swarm technology and provide vital information collected to the parent defence agency.
Such kind of drones are also mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel named Deception Point.
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