Army infantry unit will run drone resupply experiments next year

A not-yet-revealed infantry unit in the XVIII Airborne Corps will be the first to experiment with autonomous drone resupply starting next year.

The unit will run its resupply and logistics during force-on-force experimentation during the annual Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment, said Col. Alexis Rivera Espada, head of the service’s Maneuver Battle Lab.

The Army has recently evaluated three types of unmanned systems for the chore of hauling gear, food and water to widely dispersed infantry units. Those include a small helicopter type drone that can carry up to 70 pounds and requires a manual load and unload.

With artificial intelligence, every soldier is a counter-drone operator

At all levels, soldiers must know how to face a drone threat.

By Todd South

The second caries either 80 or 120 pounds, depending on the variant, and operates as a hybrid helicopter and fixed wing device that can deliver its payload via a speed bag remote drop.

The third option can carry 110 pounds via a cargo net and can also do remote drops.

Espada laid out the experiment details Thursday during the National Defense Industrial Association’s Armaments, Robotics and Ammunition annual event.

The work, if successful, carries many potential advantages.

Army leaders are looking to unmanned resupply to “extend tactical operation without pausing operations,” Espada shared.

It would also allow commanders to tailor combat loads.

Both maneuver and sustainment elements are participating, along with elements from the Marine Corps. An Airborne Corps infantry unit will use an undisclosed number of quadcopters to conduct the force-on-force experiments, Espada said.

About Todd South

Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

More In Your Army

Milley tells West Point cadets technology will transform war

The top U.S. military officer delivered remarks to graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

US, South Korea open to expanded military drills to deter North

U.S. President Joe Biden said cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea shows “our readiness to take on all threats together.”

IPPS-A rollout still on track after initial delay, Army says

The Army says its new master human resources platform is on track for full implementation Sept. 30.

Army makes new cohesion assessment teams permanent

The teams use focus groups and on-the-ground interviews to dig deeper than traditional climate surveys.

Why Latin American partners need a better way to share intel than WhatsApp

Better tools could help with a host of regional problems.

In Other News

Wildfire monitoring, other state missions in jeopardy without a Space Guard, these officials say

Space Force officials want to move away from the traditional Guard and Reserve. These colonels say that's a bad idea.

Military commands spent pandemic money on space analytics, IT upgrades

The U.S. military commands responsible for North America misused at least $19 million in COVID-19 relief money on space-related data analytics connected to the Pentagon’s JADC2 endeavor, as well as office information technology upgrades, investigators said.

Putin complains about barrage of cyberattacks

Putin charged that “an outright aggression has been unleashed against Russia, a war has been waged in the information space.”

Ukraine getting battalion’s worth of artillery in new $100 million aid package

The U.S. is sending Ukraine another $100 million in military assistance, including heavy artillery and counter-artillery radars, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

Lasers, water landings, crewless ops: Upgrades are coming for the C-130 family

The 1960s-era design continues to transform.

Watchdog could subpoena former VA workers under plan approved by Congress

Currently the VA inspector general cannot force former employees to detail problems or crimes they saw during their tenure at the department.

At least 9 troops or vets charged in domestic extremism cases since Capitol riot

An inspector general report recommended updating the DoD's extremism definition, which it has done, as well as creating a system to track extremism reports.

National Guard officer promotions could speed up under new measure

Guard members wait more than seven months on average for advancement.

Ukrainian troops surrendering at Mariupol registered as POWs

Hundreds more fighters have emerged from the Mariupol stronghold where they made their last stand and surrendered.

Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula shortage

President Joe Biden has invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and has authorized flights to import supply from overseas.