LOCUST displays potential for multifunctional UAV swarms

A system to launch and co-ordinate a swarm of small, cheap drones is being demonstrated by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR). Dubbed LOCUST (Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology), the system is ship-based and can launch several UAVs in rapid succsession which then act together to overwhelm a target.

The system is aimed at reducing the cost of UAV missions, as even hundreds of the LOCUST UAVs cost less than a single large tactical aircraft, the ONR claims.

LOCUST uses a launcher consisting of a series of tubes, each holding a single UAV in a folded configuration. Once launched, the wings unfold, and the single drone can communicate with other UAVs launched from adjacent tubes, ‘enabling autonomous collaborative behaviour in either defensive or offensive missions,’ ONR states.

The launcher is compatible with 1m-long Coyote UAVs, developed a Advanced Ceramics Researchg, a company acquired by BAE Systems in 2009; these aircaft are are electrically propelled and can carry a variety of different payloads. The ONR team has also launched nine UAVs together and demonstrated autonomous synchronisation and formation flight.