USAF Gets New Autonomous Gliders to Resupply Troops in High-Risk Environments
"Grasshopper can carry up to 500 pounds of supplies and be launched from cargo aircraft like the C-17 and C-130 using rear ramp airdrops. It can reach speeds of 109 miles per hour and glide “tens of miles” based on drop altitude, the spokesperson said.
The glider is also autonomous and capable of navigating in GPS-denied environments, allowing it to pilot itself and land with a built-in parachute."
...
"The small payload and disposable nature of the glider make it ideal for AFSOC’s mission of rapidly deploying units for precision strikes, infiltration, rescuing personnel, and intelligence gathering, often in restrictive or contested environments where nonstealthy cargo aircraft would be at high risk of being shot down."
...
"Grasshopper can carry up to 500 pounds of supplies and be launched from cargo aircraft like the C-17 and C-130 using rear ramp airdrops. It can reach speeds of 109 miles per hour and glide “tens of miles” based on drop altitude, the spokesperson said.
The glider is also autonomous and capable of navigating in GPS-denied environments, allowing it to pilot itself and land with a built-in parachute."
...
"The small payload and disposable nature of the glider make it ideal for AFSOC’s mission of rapidly deploying units for precision strikes, infiltration, rescuing personnel, and intelligence gathering, often in restrictive or contested environments where nonstealthy cargo aircraft would be at high risk of being shot down."
...
