An American-led exercise in South Korea provided a perfect opportunity for the Royal Navy and U.S. Army to team up and put a heavy-lift drone to the test.
The Malloy T-150 uncrewed aerial system (UAS) was put through its paces recently at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex at the U.S. facility about 30 miles north of the South Korean capital, Seoul, as per a BAE Systems press statement.
Teams from 700X Naval Air Squadron and the U.S. Army’s Eighth Army demonstrated its autonomous heavy-lifting capabilities, including transfer of cargo such as ammunition, water or medical kits over distance in contested environments.
700X NAS flight commander Lieutenant James Couling commented: “This joint training in South Korea is outstanding. It allows us to operate in a new environment, practice carrying different types of supplies, and integrate with U.S. forces as we test concepts for personnel movement and even casualty evacuation by drone.”
And U.S. 8th Army aeromedical officer Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDonough added: “Resupply in a large-scale combat environment remains one of our greatest challenges.
Leveraging drones will help us move supplies to the front lines faster and could even be used to transport wounded soldiers to ambulance exchange points. That capability could preserve the ‘golden hour’ in large scale combat operations and drastically increase survivability.”
In September after two years of trials and development, Malloy T-150 UAS heavy-lift drones were certified as ready for front-line operations by the Royal Navy. And 700X Squadron used the UAS to make a delivery of supplies between warships during the ongoing Operation Highmast deployment of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group to the Indo-Pacific.
Separately, BAE Systems recently announced it had successfully launched missiles against air and ground targets from a modified version of a Malloy T-150. The heavy-lift drone’s manufacturer Malloy Aeronautics is linked to BAE Systems’ FalconWorks arm.
- You can read more details on the BAE Systems website