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THE PENTAGON MAY soon be unleashing a 21st-century version of locusts on its adversaries after officials said this week it had successfully tested a swarm of 103 micro-drones.
The important step in the development of new autonomous weapon systems was made possible by improvements in artificial intelligence, holding open the possibility that groups of small robots could act together under human direction.
Military strategists have high hopes for such drone swarms that would be cheap to produce and able to overwhelm opponents’ defences with their great numbers.
The test of the world’s largest micro-drone swarm in California in October included 103 Perdix micro-drones measuring around six inches launched from three F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“The micro-drones demonstrated advanced swarm behaviours such as collective decision-making, adaptive formation flying and self-healing,” it said.
“Perdix are not pre-programmed synchronised individuals, they are a collective organism, sharing one distributed brain for decision-making and adapting to each other like swarms in nature,” said William Roper, director of the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office.
Because every Perdix communicates and collaborates with every other Perdix, the swarm has no leader and can gracefully adapt to drones entering or exiting the team.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter — a technophile and former Harvard professor — created the SCO when he was deputy defense secretary in 2012.
In an information leaflet, the Department of Defense said that the Perdix were first air-dropped in September 2014 at Edwards Air Force Base. In September 2015, they were also flown during an exercise in Alaska, taking part in ground and maritime surveillance missions.
As for what’s next, it said:
As SCO works transition to the Services, it is also partnering with the Defense Industrial Unit‐Experimental (DIUx) to find companies capable of rapidly building 1,000 units this year. SCO is also working on the “Gen 7” design, which will likely include more advanced autonomy.
The department is tasked with accelerating the integration of technological innovations into the US weaponry.
It particularly strives to marry already existing commercial technology — in this case micro-drones and artificial intelligence software — in the design of new weapons.
Originally created by engineering students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013 and continuously improved since, Perdix drones draw “inspiration from the commercial smartphone industry,” the Pentagon said.
- © AFP, 2016 - additional reporting Aoife Barry
My lord is anything working in this place, the country needs a complete reshuffle from top to bottom… Department after department being run by people who quite honestly do not seem to have a clue what they are doing…
Year on year it gets worse, government depts seem to be systematically inept or ran by incompetent people with little or no over sight, but that’s normal, what isn’t is the general publics sudden amnesia come election time. You get what you voted for, every 4 years you get the chance. Cue the triggered FFG bootlickers….
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christy: it was a 10 day passport express thing pre covid. And will be again when the dust settles. You need to relax. Cue the shinners jackboot lickers.
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christy: a lot of the backlog is applications filled out incorrectly and therefore applications need to be re submitted
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christy: Why always the blame on public and civil servants? The people who do all the dirty work at the civil service are largely a dedicated and hard working work force (as hard as their private sector counterparts anyways). It’s the way things are managed and the way the government is run, and the amount of bureaucracy and red tape involved in changing absolutely anything, that has many services the way they are. Let me also remind you that civil servants have barely received a pay increase in the last ten years, yet inflation and the cost of living has been through the roof the last few years, a great way to retain talent.
@Tomo: the Health service has the biggest ever budget provided by the state. Yet the problems still persist, minister and governments come and go yet civil servants are still there so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where the problems are.
@Paul Furey: the express bit is gone for starters!
@Patrick O Connell: No no no no no!!!!!!! This is not joe publics fault which is now the narrative.
The passport office is heavily unionised and was deemed non essential during the pandemic.
They decide when they have received your documentation, which leaves people in no man’s land.
Turn the whole process over to private sector.
3rd world country services
@John Johnes: ye because the passport service in Afghanistan is so much better ..
@Ciaran: I wonder is his also Munsterman?
@Ciaran: great comment
Nobody will get fired and all have their beautiful pensions.
Those kids should check their privilege :-)
You can checkout….but you can never leave.
Why didn’t they apply in time ,off on a fancy holiday.
@Betty O Sullivan: 4 months should be plenty of time for a first time passport and yet, here I am. Still waiting. Different answers from different agents all the time. Our photo was refused the first time because she was smiling. Imagine that lol. A 16 month old must have a neutral expression WHILE looking at the camera. It’s absolute NONSENSE.
@Betty O Sullivan: By the way, it isn’t a “FANCY” holiday for 95% of these people. I have scrimped and saved arse ways with my husband to be able to afford a holiday. These families have sacrificed and suffered enough over the last 2 years.
@Scarletrose: Fulling expecting an issue with my 3 week old babys photo. Next to Impossible to meet their out dated requirements especially where the Child is so young.
@Amanda Anderson: just make sure you get both ears in the photo and it’ll be good
have your say