Drone Assault and Rehearsal Kit (DARK)

The widespread use of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) in conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war has demonstrated their significant mission impact when equipped with appropriate payloads and operated by skilled personnel. The U.S. Military’s current sUAS platforms are often cost-prohibitive to deploy as organic assets at the small unit team level, require extensive operator training on a per platform / per payload basis, and are constrained by proprietary vendor systems that limit adaptability and ease of repair. As we have seen in Ukraine, there is an opportunity to equip the military with capabilities to rapidly fabricate low-cost and modular sUAS platforms that can be customized for mission-specific requirements without the financial and operational drawbacks of existing systems. The Drone Assault and Rehearsal Kit (DARK) addresses this need by providing a man-portable kit that enables operators to assemble their own low-cost "throw-away" sUAS platforms. The kit includes commercial off-the-shelf components, custom mechanical adapters, and modular payload options necessary to assemble platforms that are configurable to a specific mission need. This is then complemented by a first-person view (FPV) piloting system using a virtual reality (VR) headset for real-time drone control, which provides dual-functionality by also serving as the basis for an immersive 3D mission simulator that trains operators in both drone assembly, and mission rehearsal piloting that can be enhanced by pulling relevant geographic information system (GIS) data for an area of interest (AOI). By offering an adaptable, affordable, and easily deployable sUAS solution, that is orders of magnitude cheaper than current alternatives, DARK empowers operators to effectively meet diverse mission demands, and will ensure US forces are operating on a level playing field with our adversaries.  Our proposed Phase I effort will focus on a rapid prototype iteration and demonstration, expanding our existing proof-of-concept prototype through informed demonstrations for key stakeholders to solicit feedback and validate the technical feasibility of DARK. Specifically, the Phase I effort will focus on execution along the following four lines of effort: Prototype Evaluations, Technical Feasibility Demonstrations, Stakeholder Engagement for Requirements Gathering, and Formal Stakeholder Support Pursuit.