The Royal Navy’s drone specialists labored alongside the US Military to indicate how uncrewed programs may very well be used to drop provides to the frontline and evacuate wounded personnel.
700X Naval Air Squadron examined a Malloy T-150 drone in a joint occasion hosted by the Eighth Military whereas in South Korea.
On the Rodriguez Reside Fireplace Advanced, personnel from each nations checked out how know-how may ease one among fight’s hardest challenges – shifting provides and casualties shortly in contested environments.
The drone proved it may switch objects like ammunition, water or medical kits over operational distances and shortly, but in addition present help to these injured if different personnel can not get to them.
It comes as each the Royal Navy and the US Military look to utilise uncrewed and autonomous programs in operations.
Lieutenant James Couling, 700X NAS flight commander, mentioned: “This joint coaching in South Korea is excellent.
“It permits us to function in a brand new surroundings, apply carrying various kinds of provides, and combine with US forces as we take a look at ideas for personnel motion and even casualty evacuation by drone.”
Planning for the occasion took six weeks and concerned securing airspace, shifting personnel and coordinating logistics between the UK, the Republic of Korea and the USA.
Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDonough, Eighth Military’s aeromedical officer, mentioned: “Resupply in a large-scale fight surroundings stays one among our best challenges.
“Leveraging drones will assist us transfer provides to the entrance strains quicker and will even be used to move wounded solders to ambulance change factors.
“That functionality may protect the ‘golden hour’ in giant scale fight operations and drastically improve survivability.”
Military medical leaders mentioned the train was particularly worthwhile for testing medical logistics.
“Deployment of drones like this can lower the time it takes to resupply the entrance line with important Class VIII medical provides,” added Captain Ryan Schonewolf, surroundings science officer with the 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion.
“This helps us modernise our capacity to check each medical resupply and casualty evacuation.”
The trials in South Korea come as 700X additionally proved their capacity to make use of drones to resupply at sea – in a historic first which noticed the Royal Navy make a supply of provides between warships.
The identical mannequin of drone (the Malloy T-150) flew from flagship HMS Prince of Wales to destroyer HMS Dauntless throughout the UK’s Provider Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific – carrying important provides, together with spare and restore components from ship to ship.
The drone was flown autonomously throughout take off and sorties for simply over a mile and was subsequently managed by crews on Dauntless to information it onto the ship’s flight deck and make a secure touchdown.
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