DARPA Backs Albatross-Inspired Drone to Extend Flight Range

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a multimillion-dollar grant to a research team developing albatross-inspired drones designed to soar longer and use less power, according to The University of Texas at El Paso. The project, called Albatross, adapts natural soaring strategies from seabirds to make uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) more energy-efficient.

The initiative brings together researchers from UTEP, Mississippi State University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Their goal: teach drones to exploit rising warm air and shifting wind patterns the way albatrosses and other large birds do, significantly reducing onboard energy use and extending flight time.

Science of Soaring

John Bird, Ph.D., assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at UTEP, explained how soaring works. When the sun heats the Earth’s surface, warm ground transfers heat to the air above it. Rising pockets of air—similar to how hot air balloons lift—can keep birds aloft if they glide slower than the air ascends.

“These air patterns are small, short-lived and random, and they’re not going to be picked up by a weather model,” Bird said according to Interesting Engineering. “So how can you incorporate all of these unknowns — including potential energy savings — into a reliable flight plan for an aircraft? That’s the question we are trying to answer.”

By learning to ride these invisible currents, drones could travel much farther than today’s battery or fuel constraints allow.

Extending Drone Flight Range

The project has major implications for operational endurance. Current UAS rely heavily on stored power, which limits missions for mapping, monitoring, and reconnaissance. Incorporating autonomous soaring could dramatically extend flight time.

Afroza Shirin, Ph.D., assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at UTEP and a co-investigator, highlighted the benefits: “Like birds gliding on rising air, autonomous soaring enables uncrewed aircraft to extract maximum soaring energy from the wind, reducing onboard power use and extending their flight range.”

If successful, this approach could make drones more sustainable and capable of covering larger areas for environmental surveys, disaster response, and military operations.

Why “Albatross”?

The project’s name honors the seabird known for its ability to glide across thousands of miles of ocean without flapping. Bird joked that “Albatross are terrible at flapping their wings. Hence the need to find another way to fly.” For the massive birds, soaring is survival. For drones, it could be the path to long-range, energy-saving flight.

DroneXL’s Take

The Albatross project underscores how biomimicry can reshape drone technology. By looking to birds that have perfected efficient flight over millions of years, researchers may unlock a leap in endurance for both commercial and defense UAS.

The question is whether this experimental approach can be reliably scaled into real-world drone missions where conditions are unpredictable. If it can, pilots and operators could see longer missions, lower costs, and reduced environmental impact.

What do you think—will bird-inspired flight become the future of long-range drones? Share your thoughts in the comments.