Blue Bear successfully demonstrates drone swarm
Blue Bear Systems Research Ltd, in Bedford, has successfully demonstrated a fully autonomous suite of multiple drone swarm assets, under Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) conditions.
Above:
Blue Bear Cobra Drones.
Courtesy Blue Bea
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This technology enables complex drone operations, where multiple assets are able to carry out simultaneous tasks, controlled by a single user, to create a swarm effect.
The five fixed wing drones clocked up 15 hours of flying time, over four days, in challenging weather conditions. The swarm comprised a combination of Blue Bear’s own Redkite and Cobra fixed wing systems, which flew multiple, simultaneous, sorties from a test range in the North West of England.
The drones were equipped with the latest Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, and the airspace was managed by Blue Bear’s airspace deconfliction software. All of the assets were controlled by a single operator from Blue Bear’s Mission Command Control System (MCCS).
Ian Williams-Wynn, Managing Director of Blue Bear Systems, said: “This is an exciting development for us, proving our ability to operate multiple drones, simultaneously, using the latest Blue Bear technology to deliver a swarm effect under BVLOS conditions.”
Yoge Patel, CEO of Blue Bear, added: “As agile innovators, this, once again, proves that we are able to develop game-changing capability rapidly.”