US Navy buys 'blackwing' drones that can be blasted into the air from a submarine

The US Navy is set to use a radical new drone that can be launched from a submarine. The Blackwing drone is stored in a three inch tube, and uses existing systems submarines use for acoustic countermeasures. Once airborne, the shell falls apart and the drone unfurls its wings. The Blackwing drones are launched from a three-inch canister aboard submarines or unmanned underwater vehicles. The miniature UAVs are launched through the boats' existing systems it uses for acoustic countermeasures and have a flight endurance of less than an hour'AeroVironment's new Blackwing unmanned aircraft system is a valuable new capability that resulted from our team's close collaboration with, and responsiveness to, the U.S. Navy's undersea warfare community and the Special Operations community,' said Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment.