DAHLGREN, Va. –
One hundred years ago, on a stretch of the Potomac River, a small group of engineers and scientists made history with the flight of the United States' first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This moment, now a cornerstone in the long legacy of Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), marked the beginning of a century of innovation in UAV technology — a field that has since transformed modern warfare and reshaped the future of aviation.
A century of UAVs: The early days at Dahlgren
On September 15, 1924, a Curtiss N-9 seaplane, fitted with experimental radio-control technology, lifted off from Dahlgren's proving grounds. Its flight, lasting only 40 minutes, was a historic success — demonstrating an aircraft could be flown without a pilot aboard. This was the beginning of UAV research at NSWCDD, an effort that would see great minds like Carl Norden, inventor of the Norden bomb site, and radio engineer Carlos Mirick collaborated on the design and development of automated flight controls and radio systems.
The project, known as “The Wild Goose," was the result of years of partnership between engineers from the Naval Research Laboratory and subject matter experts at Dahlgren. They integrated emerging technologies, such as gyroscopic stabilization and radio frequency control, to make unmanned flights possible. Despite the technical limitations of the time, the flight was a glimpse into the future, paving the way for the UAVs we see today.
Advancing through the decades
Although the Navy paused its initial UAV program soon after the “The Wild Goose” flight, World War II brought new interest in unmanned systems for military training and operations. The need for effective training tools for anti-aircraft gunners led to the development of target UAVs, with NSWCDD once again playing a key role. During the Cold War, there was a growing need for advanced intelligence-gathering technology. To meet that need, Dahlgren’s engineers achieved significant progress in radio control and automation.
The modern UAV, growth in capabilities
Today's UAVs look quite different from the experimental aircraft of the 1920s, but they owe a great deal to their predecessors in the early days of trial and error at Dahlgren. NSWCDD has continued to play a key role in advancing more autonomous UAVs, including the development of unmanned combat air vehicles capable of autonomous takeoff, landing and aerial refueling.
“The evolution of UAVs from past to present has expanded their possibilities,” said Heather Rollins, an NSWCDD test engineer from the Integrated Engagement Systems Department. “From the technology to the design, each year the drones become smaller in size, more accessible and versatile.”
With UAVs becoming more essential to Navy operations, demand for newer and more robust capabilities are ever increasing. NSWCDD engineers are focused on developing the next generations of UAVs by enhancing autonomy, improving survivability in challenging environments and integrating advanced sensor technologies to ensure UAVs remain effective in increasingly complex missions.
Looking into the future: The next 100 years
With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, autonomy and sensor systems, the next century of UAV development looks promising. Engineers at Dahlgren are already envisioning UAVs capable of fully independent decision-making and operating in swarms.
“While the threats that our country face have evolved since that first UAV flight 100 years ago, our work continues to evolve and expand to meet those threats,” said Amy Neel, a test engineer within NSWCDD’s Integrated Engagement Systems Department. “Our UAV work helps get the right systems into the hands of the warfighters so that they can continue keeping us safe."
The U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Naval Air Systems Command, Office of Naval Research and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are some of the organizations that NSWCDD has partnered with to develop UAV technology over the past 100 years.
As drone technology advances we look forward to continuing those partnerships and fostering new ones to ensure the Warfighter has ‘No Peers, No Fear’ on the battlefield.