A team of US Army soldiers has brought an “evacuation drone” concept to life, introducing an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of picking up downed drones in combat.
Known as Project RED (Recovery Exploitation Drone), it uses an AI-powered object recognition software to tell enemy and friendly drones apart.
Its robotic, 3D-printed carbon-fiber arm swoops in to retrieve aerial platforms, carrying them back to base for two key tasks: repairing allied drones or exploiting enemy systems for components and tactical intel.
The team behind Project RED includes soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division: 1st Lt. Ryan Giallonardo, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Reed, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan Shea, and Sgt. 1st Class Brent Wehr.
Reed served as team captain during the US Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition, where Project RED won Best Innovation.
“This is a great achievement for the team and the [unmanned aerial systems] facility as well as the Pennsylvania National Guard as a whole,” Reed stated.
“Competing against the entire army, putting in the work and coming out on top really speaks volumes to what the team has been doing and the hard work they’ve been putting in.”
Gaining Army Support
As a result of winning Best Innovation, Reed’s team received an unnamed drone prototype from the Army Research Laboratory.
They were also awarded a one-year contract to further refine Project RED’s design and functionality, potentially leading to operational deployment.
“We’re excited to continue to have incredible support from state and division level leadership,” Reed stressed.
“They’ve been very helpful and very supportive of everything we’re doing, and it’s allowing us to highlight what we can do at our facility. And, I’m super proud of my entire team and everything they’re doing.”
