SBIR-STTR Award

HellHivesTM are modern Pandora’s Boxes from which large Swarms of very inexpensive expendable Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) called KillerBees emerge to inflict overwhelming damage & destruction to our enemies. HellHives supporting KillerBee Swarms fulfills this topic’s Affordable Mass requirements for: (1) Enabling blue forces to utilize large numbers of very low-cost KillerBees that launch directly from their HellHive containers–no unpacking, no prep, enables very rapid firing of Swarms; (2) Our VRR/ASU team has already developed both HellHives & KillerBees using very low-cost materials & rapid agile mass manufacturing processes (KillerBees are <$200 bill of materials, plus cost of existing munitions added as payloads); (3) HellHives are disposable or re-usable dispenser vehicles for VRR’s KillerBees, or any other small UAS selected; (4) KillerBees already support open-system payload architectures &technologies from our innovations of evolving ‘smart weapon’ Swarms by adding on existing munitions to our low-cost UAS, along with supporting gimbaled optical/sensor ISR payloads, &supporting ongoing UAS borne electronic/cyber warfare payloads in support of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). HellHives are fully scalable comprised of any number of multiple parallel vertical stacks of multiple UAS. Existing storage &shipping containers are converted by adding a simple base with dual launch rods for each vertical stack of UAS. Distributed scalable agile mass manufacturing capabilities include the ability of each distributed manufacturing node to produce 1000 KillerBees packaged within 20 HellHive shipping containers that double as Swarm launching platforms weeks at LRP at a cost of under $200 per UAS. Agile manufacturing plans include all USA parts options in the case of a China Embargo/War. HellHives’ KillerBee swarms are controlled using VRR’s Fused Augmented Realities common controller that supports modular open-system payload architectures & technologies. HellHive containers are fully scalable, for example from the rear-bed of a pickup truck supports the launching of a swarm of 50 KillerBees swarm in 20 seconds. In collaboration with our Arizona State University (ASU) team partner, we have already developed both HellHives &KillerBees using low-cost materials & rapid agile mass manufacturing. The result is the ability of each distribute node to produce 1000 KillerBees packaged in 20 HellHive container/launchers weeks at LRP at a cost of under $200 per UAS. Agile manufacturing plans include all USA parts options in the case of a China Embargo/War. HellHive’s KillerBees also directly fulfills this topic’s requirements for a system being disposable or reusable. KillerBee payload options include inexpensive conventional munitions that when carried by KillerBees become ‘smart weapons’. Further, low-cost UAS reusable versions also support ISR & electronic/cyber warfare modules to further our ongoing support of Multi Domain Operations concepts & capabilities.