{"id":82972,"date":"2020-12-11T15:50:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T15:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:27:21","slug":"the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The idea behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/unmanned\/uas\/2018\/04\/18\/dynetics-wins-38-million-contract-for-gremlins-drone-program\/\" target=_blank>DARPA\u2019s Gremlins program<\/a> is simple: Turn cargo aircraft like the tried-and-true C-130 into motherships capable of launching and retrieving swarms of small drones. But a recent test proves execution of that goal may be easier said than done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a series of flight tests that started Oct. 28, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/unmanned\/2018\/05\/14\/darpa-has-a-full-team-to-grab-drones-mid-air\/\" target=_blank>Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency<\/a> made nine attempts to recover three X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicles in flight. Each failed, the agency said in a news release, which characterized the effort as \u201cjust inches from success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tests marked the first time DARPA has attempted to recover the Gremlins drones \u2014 made by Leidos subsidiary Dynetics \u2014 via a capture device mated to the same C-130 that deployed the air vehicles. During a successful recovery, the C-130 would lower a docking bullet that helps stabilize each vehicle from the turbulence generated by the C-130. Once in place, an engagement arm would grab the X-61A and drag it into the C-130\u2032s cargo bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, during the October tests, the Gremlins drones were never able to mechanically engage with the docking station because the \u201crelative movement was more dynamic than expected and each GAV, ultimately, safely parachuted to the ground,\u201d DARPA stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DARPA\u2019s program manager Scott Wierzbanowski sounded an optimistic note about the tests, saying the challenges encountered were not insurmountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of our systems looked good during the ground tests, but the flight test is where you truly find how things work,\u201d Wierzbanowski said. \u201cWe came within inches of connection on each attempt but, ultimately, it just wasn\u2019t close enough to engage the recovery system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not everything went wrong during the recent demonstrations, DARPA said. Over three flights, each X-61 flew for more than two hours, allowing DARPA to further validate the drone\u2019s ability to operate autonomously. The agency also collected \u201chours of data\u201d that will help it to understand aerodynamic interactions between the Gremlins drone and the capture device, which program officials will study to understand how the system needs to be modified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DARPA will then attempt to fly and recover the Gremlins drones this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe made great strides in learning and responding to technological challenges between each of the three test flight deployments to date,\u201d said Wierzbanowski. \u201cWe were so close this time that I am confident that multiple airborne recoveries will be made in the next deployment. However, as with all flight testing, there are always real world uncertainties and challenges that have to be overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This isn\u2019t the first time there have been anomalies during Gremlins tests. When DARPA first launched the Gremlins aircraft from a C-130A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/techwatch\/2020\/01\/28\/us-defense-department-launches-gremlins-drone-from-a-mothership-for-the-first-time\/\" target=_blank>during a November 2019 demo<\/a> held at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, an X-61A flew almost two hours while the test team completed every objective, including testing the air vehicle\u2019s data links and deploying the docking station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when the time came to recover the drone, one of its two parachutes didn\u2019t deploy, leaving the vehicle to crash to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually, DARPA wants to demonstrate that it can safely and reliably launch and recover four Gremlins drones within 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meeting that goal would open up a world of possibilities to the military, allowing the services to deploy swarms of small, inexpensive, reusable drones with different sensors and payloads from legacy aircraft \u2014 a capability the Defense Department currently lacks. Those swarms could move closer to adversary airspace and do tasks such as gathering imagery or providing a communications relay without having to endanger human aircrew.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":116392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3305],"class_list":["post-82972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EGTJ7Z5JHFAIFMM675DMHPNSOI","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next. - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-11T15:50:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:27:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next.\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-11T15:50:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:27:21+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 599,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GAVinTrail.png.png\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Air Force\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next. - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GAVinTrail.png.png\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-11T15:50:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:27:21+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GAVinTrail.png.png\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GAVinTrail.png.png\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/11\\\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Air Force\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-air-force\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next.\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next. - Air Force TImes","description":"DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next.","og_description":"DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2020-12-11T15:50:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T00:27:21+00:00","author":"Valerie Insinna","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Valerie Insinna","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next.","datePublished":"2020-12-11T15:50:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:27:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/"},"wordCount":599,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GAVinTrail.png.png","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Your Air Force"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/","name":"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next. - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GAVinTrail.png.png","datePublished":"2020-12-11T15:50:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:27:21+00:00","description":"DARPA will try to recover Gremlins again next spring.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GAVinTrail.png.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GAVinTrail.png.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/12\/11\/the-first-nine-attempts-to-retrieve-swarming-gremlins-drones-failed-heres-whats-next\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Air Force","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/","ad_zone":"your-air-force"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The first 9 attempts to retrieve swarming Gremlins drones failed. Here\u2019s what\u2019s next."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GAVinTrail.png.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82972"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82976,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82972\/revisions\/82976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82972"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=82972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}