“Amazon on the battlefield.”
That’s essentially the vision the the Department of Defense has for the U.S. Army. So, just like the all-powerful online retailer, the Army designed a drone.
It’s finished — at least in prototype form — and it’s called the Joint Tactical Aerial Resupply Vehicle (JTRAV).
Also called the Army’s hoverbike, the JTARV is a rectangular quadcopter designed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to quickly deliver supplies to soldiers on the field of battle.
During a recent demo of the JTARV for DOD officials, ARL researchers indicated they envisioned a drone “flying low to the ground or at thousands of feet at speeds of 60 MPH or more,” and using “advanced intelligent navigation” to undertake “dynamic and challenging missions.”
“Anywhere on the battlefield, soldiers can potentially get resupplied in less than 30 minutes,” said ARL associate chief Tim Vong. “We want to have options like that. We’re exploring increasing payload capacity to 800 pounds and extending the range up to 125 miles.”
The best part? Free delivery.
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