An autonomous extraction vehicle might be rescuing wounded soldiers sooner than you think.
In combat zones across the World being able to rapidly extract wounded soldiers from the battlefield is an important part of wartime infrastructure. While helicopters have been the militaries go to vehicles for this operation, a new UAV is looking to take the choppers place.
Developed by Israeli robotics firm Tactical Robotics, the AirMile is a VTOL UAV that can be controlled by either a remote operator or its own autonomous control system.
Equipped with VTOL rotors embedded within its body the AirMule can lift its 750kg (1,700 lb) weight in a rather stealthy manner. With a top speed of 180 km/h (112mph) the vehicle is also capable of making quick dashes away from hot spots. Once free of a combat zone the ‘Mule can climb to an altitude of 3.658m (12,000ft) bringing it out of the range of most hand held munitions.
Although the AirMule has only recently completed its first round of autonomous flight tests it has confirmed that its GPS, inertial navigation systems and laser altimeter guides are robust enough to move the craft towards full mission demonstrations.
According to engineers at Tactical Robotics a second AirMule prototype is being constructed at this very moment and more advanced test will begin sometime next year.
While Tactical Robotics has not released any information concerning potential military acquisition offers, its AirMule might one day find its place on the battlefield of the future rescuing the wounded from danger.
Images and Video Courtesy of Tactical Robotics