The Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the US Air Force is studying the possibility of launching a swarm of drones from the KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft.
This move, which was leaked earlier in the year by the disclosure of secret documents, is said to be one of Washington’s strategic preparations for a possible conflict with China.
According to the head of the command, General Mike Minihan, the idea is to launch up to 100 commercially available unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the Boeing plane.
The drones will act as decoys or remote sensors to support air combat missions.
Countless Applications-Immense Usefulness
The drones that will be launched from the KC-135 aircraft could provide vital information to the US military, such as data about location, time, navigation, etc., Minihan said.
They could also deliver life jackets or other equipment to pilots ejected from their aircraft on the battlefield.
In addition, drones could act as communication and data transmission hubs, given the enhanced jamming and eavesdropping capabilities of US adversaries such as China and Russia.
Such applications would allow drones to support combat support, search and rescue missions.
