Robotic claw drone recovers downed UAVs for repair and intel

The Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division won the Best Innovation award at the US Army’s first Best Drone Warfighter Competition for developing Project RED (Recovery Exploitation Drone). This drone features a robotic claw mechanism, inspired by arcade claw machines, designed to retrieve downed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the battlefield. Equipped with artificial intelligence, Project RED can identify friendly versus enemy drones, capture fallen drones using a carbon fiber robotic arm built with 3D printing, and transport them back for repair or intelligence exploitation. The team demonstrated the drone live during the competition and will now collaborate with the Army Research Lab under a one-year agreement to improve the design further. Drones have become critical assets in modern warfare, as evidenced by their extensive use in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, where Ukrainian officials reported drones as the leading cause of soldier casualties. The US Army plans to procure over a million drones in the coming years, reflecting their growing strategic importance. However,