thedrifter
08-13-09, 08:33 AM
US Marines' Afghan robocopter-supply contest down to two
Unmanned air haulage could be cheaper than trucks
By Lewis Page
Posted in Science, 13th August 2009 12:34 GMT
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Ambitious plans by the US Marines which might reshape tomorrow's battlefields - and even upset civilian logistics in some circumstances - have moved ahead. A competition to select an unmanned aircraft for delivery of supplies to isolated outposts in Afghanistan by 2010 has now eliminated all but two contenders.
The original Marine Corps "IMMEDIATE CARGO UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM" plan called for manufacturers to step up with flying robots able to hover at high altitudes (for instance up in the Hindu Kush) and deliver ten tons of supplies across distances of 150 miles in 24 hours. The Marines specified that the gear had to be almost ready to go right away, as they wanted to be using it in the field by next year.
As regular Reg readers will know, there are in fact a few robot air vehicles out there potentially able to tackle such tasks. Our old friends the Fire Scout (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/21/fire_scout_ship_change/) droid kill-chopper, the A160T Hummingbird (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/22/a160t_endurance_record_claim/) unmanned whisper-copter and the MMIST SnowGoose (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/12/paramotor_robot_chute_delivery_gps_craft/) robo motor'chute all came forward, as did an unmanned version of the Kaman K-MAX intermeshing-rotor whirlybird.
Ellie
Unmanned air haulage could be cheaper than trucks
By Lewis Page
Posted in Science, 13th August 2009 12:34 GMT
Free whitepaper – Cooling strategies for ultra-high density racks and blade servers
Ambitious plans by the US Marines which might reshape tomorrow's battlefields - and even upset civilian logistics in some circumstances - have moved ahead. A competition to select an unmanned aircraft for delivery of supplies to isolated outposts in Afghanistan by 2010 has now eliminated all but two contenders.
The original Marine Corps "IMMEDIATE CARGO UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM" plan called for manufacturers to step up with flying robots able to hover at high altitudes (for instance up in the Hindu Kush) and deliver ten tons of supplies across distances of 150 miles in 24 hours. The Marines specified that the gear had to be almost ready to go right away, as they wanted to be using it in the field by next year.
As regular Reg readers will know, there are in fact a few robot air vehicles out there potentially able to tackle such tasks. Our old friends the Fire Scout (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/21/fire_scout_ship_change/) droid kill-chopper, the A160T Hummingbird (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/22/a160t_endurance_record_claim/) unmanned whisper-copter and the MMIST SnowGoose (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/12/paramotor_robot_chute_delivery_gps_craft/) robo motor'chute all came forward, as did an unmanned version of the Kaman K-MAX intermeshing-rotor whirlybird.
Ellie