Being able to do this is near the day of the realization of a drone fleet that can fly forever ...
The mid-air retrieval of the unmanned drone "X-61 Gremlins" was successful in October, and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released a video on YouTube.
The recovery was a special Lockheed transport aircraft C-130, located at the Dugway Proving Ground (Utah). In last fall's test, all nine were wiped out, and all three drones were recovered by parachute descent. This time as well, one of the two aircraft was lost, so it was a feat at last, but DARPA is already raising expectations that "this will greatly increase the cruising distance."
For the first time in 1935, a demonstration demonstration of "aerial refueling", which refuels in the air, was held. Until then, the cruising range of fighter aircraft was "how far you can fly with a full tank of fuel", but with the advent of aerial refueling, it has become possible to fly in the sky without being restricted by the amount of fuel loaded. Refueling is sufficient if you join the refueling machine in the air, so you don't have to search for a flat land where you can land safely, and you can complete longer missions and aim for farther attack targets.
Speaking of aerial refueling, Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird during the Cold War is also a completely aerial refueling reconnaissance aircraft. It had a unique structure in which when the wings were resting on the runway, it shrank and the oil spilled out, but when it flew into the sky and exceeded the speed of sound, it expanded due to heat and the gasket finally closed.
However, no matter how much aerial refueling becomes possible, manned aircraft cannot continue to fly forever. Maintenance is required for both humans and aircraft. Repairs will also be done after landing.
The goal of the Gremlin Development Program is to manage this with a drone from Unmanned Airceraft Systems (UAS). After approaching the danger zone with a large aircraft such as a freighter, the UAS will be taken off from the air, and after the mission is completed, it will be collected in the air for maintenance and repair at the base or airport, and a system will be established so that it can be dispatched within 24 hours. The plan is to arrange it. It is exactly the embodiment of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", and the success of this experiment has shown its feasibility. With the success and improvement of mid-air retrieval, it seems that the aircraft carrier's debut in the sky is not a story.
In addition, the style of releasing a drone from a drone is commonly called "Matryoshka of Death", and it is also attracting hot eyes on both sides of the United States and China.