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Bird-like flapping drone evaded sensors at Air Force exercise
Task & Purpose reports that Ornadyne's O1 ornithopter, tested at Edwards Air Force Base in September, was misclassified as a bird by other companies' detection gear.
- taskandpurpose.com is now reporting this
- New headline Was: “Drones built to look like birds evaded detection at Air Force tech exercise”
- Our desk filed its story
A small flapping-wing drone built to look like a crow was classified as a bird by other companies' sensors at a U.S. Air Force experiment in September, Task & Purpose reported on Sunday1.
Ornadyne's O1 ornithopter does not use propellers; it flaps its wings and is designed for low-altitude intelligence or survey work, the outlet said, citing a Defense Contract Management Agency release1. The test took place during Game of Drones 26-3 at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert on Sept. 17, 2026, according to Air Force photos and captions carried in the report1.
Co-founder Armen Arakelyan, described as a former SpaceX engineer, said the aircraft is quieter because it replaced propellers with flapping wings1. Co-founder Geourg Kivijian said sensors from other firms at the event could not establish the drone and registered it as a bird1.
A company fact sheet cited by Task & Purpose said the O1 weighs 1 pound, can fly up to 10 kilometers (a little more than 6 miles) for over an hour, and can carry a small camera for target recognition1. The company said it can change color, wingspan, proportions and silhouette to match a native bird species1.
The quarterly exercise is sponsored by the Air Force 412th Test Wing's Experimental Test Force and DCMA's Blue List team, which approves commercial drones for sale to the U.S. military, Task & Purpose reported1. The outlet noted that ornithopter designs are not unique to Ornadyne and cited a 2024 video of a Chinese exercise showing a sparrow-like drone1.
