Carrying various sensing equipment, the ALEs gathered information about enemy positions and fed reconnaissance and targeting data back to a manned UH-60, ground troops, and to subsequent waves of drones
through a mesh tactical network, a spokesperson for the Army’s Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team (FVL CFT) told
The War Zone.
The exercise sought to prove the concept that a
networked swarm of unmanned aircraft could fly deep into enemy territory to gather information on the intended landing zone for a crewed helicopter air assault mission. Converging on the target area, the drones detect enemy forces using nose-mounted cameras, infrared sensors, or electronic warfare payloads that can detect signals emissions.