Vanilla Unmanned drops remote sensing swarm UAS

Platform Aerospace’s Vanilla UAS demonstrated an air-launched swarm capability, deploying nearly 40 micro-UAS from wing-mounted stores. The event took place in October 2022.

Vanilla UAS served as both the mothership for the micro-UAS insertion and deployment, and the deployed micro-UAS command & control (C2) and data backhaul node.

While the air-launch event did not focus on demonstrating Vanilla’s world-record endurance, micro-UAS units were deployed on sorties exceeding 35 hours. The extended tests validated Vanilla’s ability to deploy the wing-mounted air-launch systems and a satellite communications suite over extreme distances exceeding a combat range of 2,500 nm.

The deployed micro-UAS are part of the U.S. Navy’s efforts to develop swarming systems. These systems are individually guided disposable units designed for remote meteorological sensing while airborne or as unattended ground sensors. The technology is extensible to other applications.

The air-launch event highlights Platform Aerospace’s vertically integrated prototyping capabilities. The design, manufacture, and integration of the air-launch pod and control software were conducted internally to Platform Aerospace. Similarly, Platform manufactured the deployed micro-UAS under a separate prime contract.