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As we see in nature, bees and mosquitoes are more effective when they work together in a swarm. Well, Boeing is taking a page directly from mother nature by testing out a new technology that will allow UAVs to communicate and operate as a group. The aerospace giant used swarm technology, developed by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), to allow different types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to collectively search a test area, map the terrain and create their own flight path, while simultaneously sending information to teams on the ground.

“This is a milestone in UAV flight,” said Gabriel Santander, Boeing Advanced Autonomous Networks program director and team leader. “The test team proved that these unmanned aircraft can collect and use data while communicating with each other to support a unified mission. This swarm technology may one day be used for search-and-rescue missions or identifying enemy threats ahead of ground patrols.”

The test mission occurred last month and used two ScanEagles manufactured by Boeing subsidiary Insitu and one Procerus Unicorn from JHU/APL. Next month, Boeing plans on doing a broader test of this swarm technology.

Tags: Boeing, Boeing and Swarm Technology, GEOINT, geospatial intelligence, Insitu, John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Procerus Unicorn, Swarn and UAVs, UAV, UAVs