A bird-like drone developed by Los Angeles startup Ornadyne reportedly evaded detection by military counter-drone systems during a U.S. Air Force evaluation at a Nevada base on Sept. 17, 2026, raising questions about whether existing surveillance technology can distinguish unconventional unmanned aircraft from ordinary wildlife. The O1 ornithopter mimics a bird’s flight by flapping its wings rather than using conventional propellers, according to reports on the Defense Contract Management Agency-sponsored exercise. [1][2].
The O1 does not use propellers like most drones. Instead, it mimics the flight mechanics of a bird by flapping its wings to stay in the air, according to Armed Forces Press [3]. The exercise, part of the Defense Contract Management Agency-sponsored “Game of Drones” series, brings together vendors and warfighters in an experimental test environment to demonstrate how different drone capabilities fare against each other in different scenarios, according to the agency [4].
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