Roswell Flight Test Crew: Launch a Drone from Another Drone

In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew speaks with Cory Roeseler of HoodTech about the company's FLARES launch system, which can transform small, fixed-wing military drones into VTOL platforms without compromising flight endurance. An acronym for “Flying Launch And Recovery System,” FLARES employs a large, battery-powered multirotor to lift the fixed-wing platform to altitude and provide it with some initial forward momentum, before releasing it into forward flight. When the fixed-wing aircraft completes its mission, the FLARES multirotor lifts a catch line into its path and recovers it using a sky hook, in a manner similar to ground-based recovery systems. This video was recorded in Fall 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.