DARPA’s TERN drone gives US Marines a new wingman
Most of today's drones are limited by the distances they can fly and the payloads they can carry, now the US wants an eye in the sky that can help protect, and resupply troops wherever they are
Key takeaways
- Earlier this week, DARPA announced funding for Phase III of the project, which aims to take it from a mere concept to a working, flying, fighting robot by 2018.
- With a planned range of 690 miles, TERN will greatly expand what the Navy can see at sea, as the autonomous drone observes and relays what it films via satellite link.
- The TERN program also aims for 1,000 pounds of payload, so the drone can carry cameras, sensors, and weapons.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'DARPA’s TERN drone gives US Marines a new wingman', 311 Institute, 16 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/darpas-new-drone-wants-to-cover-the-sea-with-air-support/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Terns are a family of shorebirds that can nest in marginal conditions and thrive everywhere from beaches to wetlands to rivers to inlets. Now TERN, or the Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node, is a drone that's been developed by Northrop Grumman for both the DARPA and the Office of Naval Research, with the goal of giving the Navy and Marine Corps a versatile flying scout that can support ships and troops almost anywhere they are - at land or sea.
Earlier this week, DARPA announced funding for Phase III of the project, which aims to take it from a mere concept to a working, flying, fighting robot by 2018.
So what, exactly, does TERN do? It perches on ships, even small ships without runways, and then takes off vertically like a helicopter, before transitioning to plane-like horizontal flight in midair - in some ways it's reminiscent to the hunter-killer jets you see in the Terminator movies. Not that i'm drawing any comparisons though - obviously...
That transition provides the flexibility of landing in small spaces, while also the efficiency of flying efficiently for long distances. With a planned range of 690 miles, TERN will greatly expand what the Navy can see at sea, as the autonomous drone observes and relays what it films via satellite link.
The TERN program also aims for 1,000 pounds of payload, so the drone can carry cameras, sensors, and weapons. The drone is designed for both scouting and air support, so that marines operating far from aircraft carriers or runways on land don’t have to fight without a friendly robot watching their backs from overhead.
As designed, TERN can operate from any Navy ship with a helicopter landing pad, or even large guard rail - hey, why not!? After all, yes it's high tech and one day it will be heavily armed but isn't the original concept drawn from a small turkey like bird?
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Most of today's drones are limited by the distances they can fly and the payloads they can carry, now the US wants an eye in the sky that can help protect, and resupply troops wherever they are
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
- Default northropgrumman.com
- DARPA darpa.mil
- Office of Naval Research onr.navy.mil
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 16 February 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). DARPA’s TERN drone gives US Marines a new wingman. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/darpas-new-drone-wants-to-cover-the-sea-with-air-support/
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