Watch this swarm of drones launch out of a jet and coordinate like birds

The US military has developed a series of drones that are built to work in a group, able to coordinate and fly together like birds in a flock.

As William Roper of the Department of Defense explained in a statement:

"Perdix are not pre-programmed synchronized individuals, they are a collective organism, sharing one distributed brain for decision-making and adapting to each other like swarms in nature. Because every Perdix communicates and collaborates with every other Perdix, the swarm has no leader and can gracefully adapt to drones entering or exiting the team."

In the trials, three F/A-18 Super Hornets released 103 Perdix drones, each weighing about a pound, to take on impromptu maneuvers.

Here is a video, displaying their tactical edge and improvisational skill.

Drones continue to get smaller and cheaper, with high tech equipment on board.   The Pentagon is now working with its own Silicon Valley-style innovation organization, the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, to build fleets of the micro-drones.