The U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development and Integration completed a demonstration of the Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System for transporting combat supplies.
The drone-like aircraft is highly automated and capable of lifting up to 150 pounds of payload, making it a potentially valuable tool in combat supply transportation, the service branch said Tuesday.
At the semi-annual Installations and Logistics Board demo event in Quantico, Virginia, TRUAS was able to carry supplies over a 9-mile range, drop them at a specific location and fly back to its point of origin. The system uses waypoint navigation instead of manual mechanisms and only requires two Marines to operate.
Since the technology can be learned over a five-day training period, the Marine Corps plans to create a local training and logistics support program that would allow commanders to designate personnel to be trained on TRUAS.
“TRUAS is designed to provide rapid and assured, highly automated aerial distribution to small units operating in contested environments; thereby enabling flexible and rapid emergency resupply, routine distribution, and a constant push and pull of material in order to ensure a constant state of supply availability,” said Master Sgt. Chris Genualdi, a CDI airborne and air delivery specialist. He added that it could also be used in humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts in the future.