When fighting in rough, difficult-to-traverse terrain (such as that found across much of Afghanistan), the military relies on helicopters to quickly deliver weapons and ammunition to soldiers on the battlefield. Unfortunately, manned helicopters are expensive and make attractive targets for enemy fire.
Enter the K-MAX Unmanned Multi-Mission Helicopter, a drone that passed a test devised by the U.S. Marines that included (PDF warning):
… hovering at 12,000 ft. with a 1,500-pound sling load; delivering 3,000 pounds of cargo well within the six-hour required timeframe to a forward operating base (two 150 nm round-trip flights); remotely controlling flight and a precision load delivery by a ground-based operator in both day and night conditions; and uploading a new mission plan to the aircraft’s mission management system during flight.
The most impressive part is not necessarily that the chopper was merely unmanned, as the U.S. has been effectively using unmanned drones in war for years. Rather, the chopper passed the test nearly autonomously, successfully delivering cargo to a series of pre-programmed locations. It was only tested through manual ground control for one delivery at the Marines’ request.
In total, the demonstration cost $860,000, which apparently is a downright bargain as far as military operations go. For the sake of troops on the ground, the faster they get these birds deployed in the field, the better.