US Army is testing cargo drones
The U.S. Army is testing two cargo drones to work in conjunction with maritime drones as part of Project Convergence 2025. This is reported by the Breaking Defense media outlet.
"We're going to have to figure out how to resupply dispersed formations," Brigadier General Shane Upton, director of the Cross-Functional Logistics Group, said in a statement to Breaking Defense. "The Pacific Ocean, by its very nature, necessitates this. There's no other option, if you start deploying firepower for multinational task forces on a chain of remote islands, I'll have to provide them with ammunition.
And we may not be able to make traditional C-17 or C-130 deliveries there," he added. To evaluate given options, the service sent out a request for information from industrial companies on their heavy drone options. Out of the 24 companies that submitted proposals, the army selected two drones for testing next year.
The names of the drones selected for testing have not been disclosed. However, it is known that they can carry approximately 450 kg of cargo over a distance of 550-740 km. The plan is to use these two different drones to work in tandem with maritime drones to explore the logistics opportunities in the Pacific and other parts of the world.
"We are looking at the possibility of sharing them. ... None of the solutions we develop for the Army will be for the Pacific ocean alone, they have to work in Europe as well," stated General Shane Upton. As part of the test, the cargo drone transportation will also be compared to a project to install a remote control kit on CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
"The money they're giving us, it's a huge amount of money, but you have to be able to buy things and still scale them to your needs. We need smaller, more mobile boats. We need the drones that can move cargo.
And you can't spend £50, £60, or £70 million on one drone to do that," the general added. In May 2024, it became known that Ukraine operated British Uncrewed Low Cost Transport (ULTRA) cargo drones.
Uncrewed Low Cost Transport (ULTRA) drone. Photo credits: Windracers Company
ULTRA is a powerful UAV with a maximum takeoff weight of 450 kg. It can carry 100 kg of cargo over a distance of up to 1000 km.
According to the company, a set of sensors for reconnaissance can be placed in the cargo compartment instead of cargo.