The US Army and Marines are currently working on a project that will see an unmanned robot supply helicopter enter service – this would certainly go some way in reducing the risk of dying on the battlefield if you’re a helicopter pilot, and their efforts have been rewarded with a fresh injection of another $47 million. The deal was awarded by the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, where it will see Lockheed continue in their partnership with Kaman Aerospace so that an unmanned version of Kaman’s current manned “intermesh” K-MAX craft will be able to enter service – and soon.
The project will incorporate autonomous robotic controls, where the whole idea is to see the unmanned K-MAX see action when it comes to shifting supplies in various theatres such as Afghanistan. Road convoys are a magnet for ambushes – no thanks to bad and nonexistent highways, including frequent sniping and ambushes and an endless array of mines, bombs and boobytraps.
Autonomous unmanned cargo copters do come in handy for US and allied troops who are in a tight situation. Currently, the robocopter remains within the “electromagnetic environmental effects testing” phase. Hopefully it will be completed sooner rather than later to aid our boys in uniform.
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