U.S. Army To Test Networked Drone Swarms

The upcoming experiment in Utah is the largest drone swarm test ever conducted by the U.S. Army.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, April 29, 2022 at 04:51 PM ET

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The test will include a swarm of up to 30 drones. [Courtesy: U.S. Army]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Army is conducting its largest-ever drone swarm test at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah as part of the 2022 Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise (EDGE22).
This experiment involves launching nearly three dozen networked combat drones, known as Air Launched Effects (ALE), from both aircraft and ground vehicles.
The drones are designed to perform diverse missions, including surveillance, electronic warfare, and strike operations, relaying critical information to manned assets.
The test aims to assess new tactics, technologies, and architectures for future vertical lift modernization, enhancing the Army's capabilities against adversaries in a multi-domain environment.

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In the days ahead, a swarm of nearly three dozen networked combat drones will be launched from aircraft and ground vehicles, filling the sky above the Great Salt Lake Desert. While seemingly an image ripped from a script of a Hollywood blockbuster, the scene is no science fiction, but instead the largest drone swarm test ever conducted by the U.S. Army.

The drone experiment, which is being held at Dugway Proving Ground near Salt Lake City, Utah as part of the U.S. Army’s 2022 Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise (EDGE22), is a look to the future, according to a top Army official.