[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] 'Swarm Attacks by Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles' in Movies Become Reality

A scene in the movie 'Angel Has Fallen' where a swarm of small drones attacks the entourage of the US President

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Is the scene in the movie 'Angel Has Fallen' where a swarm of small drones attacks the U.S. president's entourage realistically possible?

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the U.S. Department of Defense has been conducting the 'Gremlin Program' since 2016. The development goal is for dozens of Gremlin drones to be deployed from a transport aircraft and operate in swarms to carry out missions.

DARPA has contracted with four companies for this program: Lockheed Martin, Dynetics, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and Composite Engineering. The project name Gremlin comes from a fairy that British pilots during World War I claimed to have seen. However, Gremlins are more famously known as 'mischievous fairies' because their sightings were often associated with aircraft malfunctions.

This program is based on the same principle as a flying aircraft carrier seen in movies like 'The Avengers'?an aircraft carrier that sails the sea carrying carrier-based aircraft. The plan is for the flying aircraft carrier to launch unmanned attack drones to strike key enemy facilities. This could also compensate for the short operational range of small drones.

However, reality is somewhat distant. There is currently no flying aircraft carrier. Therefore, the project plans to use transport aircraft like the U.S. military's C-130 as a drone launch platform and enable the drones to complete reconnaissance missions and return. Modifying transport aircraft like the C-130 is more practical than developing a new flying aircraft carrier. Meanwhile, DARPA plans to develop and prioritize the use of inexpensive drones rather than costly ones for this project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.