The ongoing war in Ukraine has highlighted a need to resupply front-line troops using military drones-and a surprising dearth of options for doing so. Except for well-publicized medical resupply missions to hard-hit civilian areas by Dragan-fly-donated uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), drones have been used almost exclusively for surveillance and strike missions.That gap in the military UAS portfolio extends beyond Ukraine. More than a decade has passed since the U.S. Marine Corps experimented with resupplying forward operating bases in Afghanistan with Kaman's uncrewed K-MAX helicopter and the Canadian Mist Mobility Integrated Systems Technology CQ-10 Snow-Goose parafoil delivery system. Yet years later, the U.S. military inventory of operational cargo aircraft does not include this capability, even as the commercial sector continues to evolve autonomous delivery technology.But UAS cargo delivery technology finally may be poised for a breakout in the U.S. military in 2023.
展开▼
