DARPA’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) recently test out its first payload: the Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS).
TALONS uses a parasail to bring sensors such as radars and cameras to 1,500 feet above the sea. This allows any ocean going vessel better sensor coverage compared to the mast.
The system was tested with 90 minutes of flight each day off the coast of California.