The Navy plans to test new electronic warfare drones this fall. Complex electronic warfare (EW) platforms -- such as the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growler -- could soon release swarms of drones from the aircraft, allowing the smaller vehicles to fly ahead to scout out for radar and other battlefield emitters, and potentially even take part in electronic attack missions themselves by jamming enemy sensor networks. The concept is part of a project that the Navy is working on with Northrop Grumman known as Remedy. As part of the program, a small Class II unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -- developed by North Carolina-based VX Aerospace -- would be packed into a cluster munition canister that would then eject from a "mothership" and fly a programmed route ahead of stand-off jammers and strike aircraft.
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