Slide 7 of 14

The Future of Recoverable Drones for Tactical Air Forces

www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1975/jul-aug/cunningham.html

"The primary drone recovery method presently in use is the Midair Retrieval System (MARS), which employs specially equipped CH-3/HH-53 helicopters. The current reliability of the system is 98 percent. The MARS is ideal for operations with a low sortie rate; however, it has several inherent limitations. The recovery operation is limited to one helicopter for one drone. As drone sortie rates increase, more helicopters would be required if dependence on MARS continues."