The U.S. Air Force is hoping algorithms based on bee behavior will allow swarming mini-drones to disrupt enemy radar.
Air Force scientists say they are making progress on technology for unmanned aircraft vehicles that will turn fleets of the miniature aircraft into weaponized swarms.
“It is built on the biological concept of say a swarm of bees, for example, where you can see a lot of them fly as a group, but they do not run into each other. They manage some type of coordinated activity between them in order to be able to navigate successfully,” Mica Endsley, Air Force chief scientist, told Military.com on Wednesday.
“In the laboratory — we have developed algorithms that allow small UAVs to be able to operate that way so that they can work in conjunction without running into each other,” the scientist added.
More details on the Air Force’s plans for drone technology will be detailed when it releases its “Autonomous Horizons” report next month, the defense website reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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