• AI-powered claw drone retrieves downed hostile UAVs for intel in combat zones The new Project RED drone can retrieve a friendly drone for repairs or capture an enemy drone for intel exploitation. • Soldiers of the Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division have won an award for inventing a drone that uses a mechanism similar to an arcade claw machine to retrieve downed drones. • This week, the team won the Best Innovation at the US Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, Alabama. • The soldiers were awarded for Project RED, which stands for Recovery Exploitation Drone. • The Project RED claw drone The Project RED drones were built to fly over and inspect downed unmanned aircraft systems. • They use artificial intelligence software to differentiate between friendly and enemy drones.
Article Summaries:
- The Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division has developed Project RED, an AI‑powered “claw” drone that can fly over, identify, and capture downed unmanned aircraft. Using machine‑learning software to distinguish friendly from hostile UAVs, the drone deploys a 3‑D‑printed, carbon‑fiber robotic arm to secure the target and transport it to base for repair or intelligence analysis. The system won the Best Innovation award at the U.S. Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, Alabama. Winners received a plaque, an Army Research Lab prototype, and a one‑year R&D agreement to refine the design. The achievement highlights the growing role of autonomous drones in modern battlefields.
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