The United States Defense Department is reportedly seeking ideas to develop an airborne platform that could both launch and recover other aircraft.
The Defense Advanced Research Products Agency (DARPA) wants to turn aircrafts currently in the Pentagon inventory into platforms that could carry drones close to their targets and bring them back after their job is done, reported the CNN.
However, the department wants the models to be small like B-1, B-52 or C-130, low-cost and something that they could demonstrate within four years. The proposal should fit on eight, standard 8.5- x 11-inch pages in 11-point type and should be submitted by November 26.
DARPA said that the plan could expand the range of the drones and open up new missions that they cannot undertake now due to their limited range.