The U.S. military tests the "Grasshopper" autonomous supply drone, which can deliver supplies in environments where GPS fails.

The picture shows the autonomous supply of "Grasshopper", which can be remotely delivered by transport aircraft. (Picture taken from X@OvidiuMuca)

[Reporter Wu Zheyu/Comprehensive Report] The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) successfully tested the "Grasshopper" autonomous supply system developed by DZYNE during the "Northern Viking 2026" exercise in Iceland. It can transport up to 227 kilograms of supplies at a time. Even if the GPS is interfered with or unavailable, it can still fly to a designated area autonomously, so that personnel and high-value aircraft do not have to risk going deep into high-threat airspace, and allows surrounded troops to receive supplies.

Military news website "Army Recognition" reported that "Northern Viking 2026" was held in Iceland from August 22 to September 3. The U.S. Air Force's 352nd Special Operations Wing participated in the exercise with Iceland and other NATO allies. In addition to verifying the force projection capabilities of the North Atlantic and the "Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap" (GIUK Gap), it also tested new logistics concepts in the harsh high-latitude northern hemisphere environment.

Please read on...

Among them, US military special operations personnel successfully tested the "Grasshopper" drone and evaluated the use of non-standard airdrop platforms to support isolated ground forces far away from supply lines. "Grasshopper" is divided into standard type and long-range type. Both can carry up to 500 pounds (about 227 kilograms) of supplies and can be dropped by a variety of aircraft.

After being released, "Grasshopper" can navigate independently and fly to a preset destination according to the terrain. It is designed to continue to operate in environments where GPS is denied or signal quality is degraded. After arriving at the designated landing area, the system enters the terminal descent procedure, and finally uses a parachute to land and deliver the payload materials to the ground troops.

Unlike traditional drones, "Grasshopper" has been designed to be low-cost and expendable from the beginning, and is not intended to be recycled and reused. This means that the US military can send it into high-threat areas that traditional transport aircraft are not suitable for entering. Even if it is shot down by the enemy, the loss will be much lower than that of manned transport aircraft or other high-value aviation platforms.

During this exercise, the US military used non-traditional transportation methods to provide food, drinking water, medicine and fuel to the troops. The 352nd Special Operations Wing also dispatched small detachments to strongholds with poor conditions, relying mainly on its own organizational capabilities to maintain operations to verify its continued combat capabilities far away from normal supply lines.

This type of autonomous supply capability is particularly important for special operations. Under the threat of enemy air defense, electronic warfare or long-range strikes, traditional airports, roads and supply lines may be destroyed or monitored. However, small and dispersed troops still need ammunition, fuel, food and medical supplies to maintain combat effectiveness.