Super Hornets drop world's largest swarm of 103 micro-drone Perdix

With a whine like a swarm of giant angry wasps descending on a picnic, 103 micro-drones recently carried out organized maneuvers in the skies over China Lake, California. Billed by the US Department of Defense (DoD) as the world's largest micro-drone swarm, the Perdix drones were launched last October from three F/A-18 Super Hornets and autonomously carried out a series of missions that demonstrated collective decision-making, adaptive formation flying, and self-healing.

Under development by the DoD, the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) and Naval Air Systems Command, the Perdix system is named after the character in Greek mythology who was saved from certain death after his uncle Daedalus pushed him from a tower in a fit of jealous rage, only to be turned into a bird by the goddess Athena.

The modern namesake is an autonomous micro-drone first designed by MIT engineering students and modified for military applications by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. It's designed to be launched in small or large swarms from land, sea, or air to carry out low-altitude Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and other missions, and is distinguished from other military drones in that it's based on smartphone technology and uses all‐commercial components, 3D‐printing, and agile manufacturing.

Each propeller-driven drone is only 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long with a wingspan of 11.8 in (30 cm) and weighs a mere 10.23 oz (290 g). At the moment, it has an air endurance of over 20 min and can reach speeds of 40 to 60 kts (46 to 69 mph, 74 to 111 km/h), can operate at temperatures of -10⁰ C (14⁰ F), and can endure the shock of being ejected from a fighter plane.


Source:  http://newatlas.com/perdix-micro-drones-super-hornets/47333/


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