Army to test ‘swarm’ of automated drones in Utah desert this month

The United States Army this month is set to launch a massive “swarm” of automated drone fighters as part of a major defensive test in the Utah desert.

A fleet of ALTIUS 600 and Coyote drones will be air-launched at the Army’s Dugway Proving Ground testing facility outside of Salt Lake City, according to the Drive.

The performance is meant as a test of “an expansive use of electronic warfare and an expansive use of our interactive drone swarm,” Army Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen told the publication. 

Rugen said the Army would be launching the drones “Monster Garage-style, any way we can,” a reference to the Discovery Channel show in which mechanics jury-rig vehicles to perform a variety of unexpected tasks.

 “Which again shows, in my mind, just the flexibility of our air-launched effects initiatives,” Rugen added, “because we can launch it from the air. We can launch it from the ground. We can launch from fixed-wing, rotary-wing, any type of ground vehicle.”