U.S. Subs Will Soon Be Launching 'Black Wing' Drones

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

* Pods will hold naval drones on the sea bed for years at a time
* If a threat emerges, pods are released remotely and float to the surface
* Drones then unfurl their wings and take flight

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

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