Watch “Navy’s Close-in Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft (CICADA) Drones” Video at Engineering TV

At first glance they may look like a typical circuit board, but the Naval Research Lab’s CICADA (Close-in Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft) drones are designed to be a low-cost, GPS-guided, micro disposable air vehicle that can be deployed in large numbers to “seed” an area with miniature electronic payloads. Hosted by: Bill Wong Videography by: Curtis Ellzey Edited by: Curtis Ellzey

Source: Watch “Navy’s Close-in Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft (CICADA) Drones” Video at Engineering TV

A great look at the emerging technology and certainly good fuel for the “next” generation of UAV.

Tell me what you think about the design.  Where does it go from here and can you envision a version with a more robust propulsion system?  How much cost savings can be actualized from this type of design?