For quite some time now the concept of deliveries being made by drones have been being passed around.  The reasoning behind this is that drone deliveries can be extremely efficient both in matters of time and cost.  Amazon is just one major company that has been toying with the idea, however do to logistical issues it simply is not possible yet.  While other companies, like Zipline, have found a feasible way of delivering small medical supply packages via drones.  But for organizations like the military, a drone capable of making a delivery of a package weighing around 5 lbs is just not enough.

For the most part military operations that are stationed around the world receive deliveries the old fashioned way.  From planes, helicopters, ships, and vehicles.  This is often a very expensive procedure that wastes valuable time.  Logistics Gliders, Inc. has partnered with the US Marines to test out a solution for troops expecting deliveries.  They have created a drone that can carry a payload that is upwards of 1,800 lbs!  And though one would think that a drone with such capabilities must be huge and expensive, that is not the case here.

The drones being built by Logistics Gliders are in fact large, but they are constructed from cheap plywood.  This makes them easy to build and if need be, replaced.  They have two models, the LG-1K and a larger version the LG-2K.  Ideally these drones could be built for only a few hundred dollars.  But besides the fact that they can carry large loads without costing thousands of dollars, they are proving practical with other features as well.

Just like other drones, there is no need for a trained pilot (as in a plane pilot), just a controller.  There is also the added fact that money isn’t being spent on fuel as these drone operate like gliders.  They can navigate remotely through difficult terrain. Cities, forest, mountains, they really pose no obstacle to these drones.  Also, they don’t need an airspace landing field.  They can land pretty much anywhere because of their simple construction without causing damage.  Or, they can release packages by parachute. 

Logistics Gliders have already begun testing their drones with the Marines, and plan to continue to do so throughout the year.  So far the only issue they have found is that as of now, the gliders have to be launched from a larger aircraft.  However, they have found that once launched, the drone gliders are way more accurate with their deliveries than those packages simply dropped by aircraft.  They foresee this method being a way for military operations to deliver packages safely, quickly, and precisely without overextending any budgets.