The future of air combat is drones launching more drones : v

The future of air combat is drones launching more drones
Kelsey D. Atherton
© Provided by Popular Science
The future of air combat is drones launching more drones
On March 26, a windowless drone called the Valkyrie opened its weapon bay doors, the first time it had done so while airborne. Then, it released into the sky below not a bomb, but another, smaller drone, a scout launched into flight from its mid-air berth. Deployed from a mothership into flight, the drone-launched drone ushers in an era of machines sending other machines to fight battles for humans.  
The XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, with a 28-feet length and 22-foot wingspan, was on its sixth test flight at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The Valkyrie has flown over the Sonoran desert around Yuma since 2019, it's dark gray body stark against the sun-scorched sands below. The smaller drone, the payload released from the Valkyrie weapons bay, was an ALTIUS-600. Altogether, the package suggests that the next decade of drone warfare will involve more autonomous machines, working in concert, to ensure that Air Force pilots are only physically present when really needed.

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