DARPA Selects Dynetics To Develop, Test “Gremlin” Air-Launched UAVs Written 20 April 2018

Aerospace America reports that DARPA has selected a team led by Dynetics to develop and test elements of its “proposed concept for dispatching drones from C-130 transport planes” and recovering them using a “tethered capture device that resembles an aerial refueling boom.” The company announced Wednesday that it had won the “next phase of DARPA’s $64 million Gremlin program, beating out rival General Atomics Aeronautical Systems,” which proposed a mechanical arm to move the Gremlins in and out of the C-130’s cargo bay. As part of the team, Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems will “build and test each drone,” while Sierra Nevada will provide the Gremlins’ navigation system, and Williams International of Michigan will provide their turbofan engines. The Dynetics team must demonstrate its “launch and recovery technique” with the UAVs and a C-130 by late 2019, with a goal of retrieving four Gremlins in less than 30 minutes. 
Full Story (Aerospace America)