Before the fall of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, there were multiple calls to airdrop humanitarian aid and other cargo by drone. But is the technology and infrastructure ready to scale in war zones?
- Strategy and Security Studies Professor Lt. Col. Mark Jacobsen from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies said it will be a “long road” to effective drone delivery capabilities in combat.
- While there has been a lot of experimentation, the Pentagon’s capabilities are very limited, he said.
- Jacobsen said drone delivery will be an increasingly important tool and requires large government investment.
Watch the full interview for more:
Soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) along with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) participate in a Joint Tactical Aerial Resupply Vehicle (JTARV) exercise on Fort A.P. Hill, VA, September 22, 2017. During the exercise, the JTARV showed its potential for one day making it possible for Soldiers on the battlefield to order resupply and then receive those supplies from an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle. (U.S. Army photos by Pfc. Gabriel Silva)
A small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) is shown in flight at U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground (Dugway Proving Ground photo by Becki Bryant)
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