Dynetics Inc. has announced that in July, the company successfully tested a second X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle (GAV), as well as the Gremlins airborne recovery system, at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

In preparation for an airborne recovery test later this year, the series of tests focused on risk reduction, as well as system and subsystem performance verification. The goal of the Gremlins Program, which is managed by DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, is to demonstrate aerial launch and recovery of multiple low-cost reusable UAS.

All segments of the Gremlins Demonstration System were involved in the test series, including GAVs, the launch and recovery system, the airborne operator control station and the Gremlins command, control and communications system. Originally scheduled for earlier this spring, the test flight was delayed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“We have taken a major step forward towards accomplishing airborne recovery, and we are ever so close to achieving it,” says Tim Keeter, program manager for the Dynetics Gremlins team.

“Our second GAV flown to date performed very well, which increases our confidence in the X-61A. And for the first time, we rendezvoused and flew in close formation with the recovery C-130 multiple times using the Gremlins Autonomous Docking System (GADS).”

Keeter continues, “multiple captive tests were also conducted for the first time, with actively-controlled GAVs attached to the stabilized towed docking device. This demonstrated the ability of the recovery system to safely reel in and stow GAVs once they have docked. The data collected from these tests will provide the necessary information to perform final tuning of GADS.”

The second X-61A flew for a total of two hours and 12 minutes. It flew in formation with the C-130 from as close as 125 feet back and 125 feet below the C-130 position. At the end of the test, the GAV was recovered on the ground using the parachute system. 

“Our team was excited to fly the GAV for a second time following the delays caused by the global pandemic,” says Brandon Hiller, Dynetics X-61A chief engineer.

“While we successfully tested both the GAV and recovery system, we decided during the mission to stop short of docking. We now have additional data, which will help us tune the system and further validate our models. These results are encouraging and present higher confidence to achieve airborne recovery in our next flight.”

The roll-on/roll-off recovery system—which includes the physical structure, the docking structure, the towed, attitude-controlled "Bullet" and the in-flight stowage system—performed as designed. 

“As we expected, reeling the GAV in while docked on the Bullet, and then securing it inside the C-130 cargo bay is a safe and benign activity. It's like fishing in the sky, except the fish weighs 1,200 pounds,” explains Marvin Hill, Dynetics X-61A recovery system chief engineer.

The Dynetics Gremlins team is made up of several companies that represent best-in-class capabilities for their roles on the program, including Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, Williams International, Applied Systems Engineering, Inc., Kutta Technologies, Inc., Moog Inc., Sierra Nevada Corporation, Systima Technologies, Inc. and Airborne Systems. Additional support for the flight test included Dugway's Rapid Integration and Acceptance Center (RIAC), International Air Response and High-G Technologies.