Disposable Delivery Drones Undergo Successful Tests With U.S. Marines

Two years ago, we spotted an interesting delivery drone concept at a military expo in Washington, D.C., called TACAD, or TACtical Air Delivery. The idea was to use gliders made out of cheap, disposable materials to deliver a substantial amount of supplies over long distances. You'd have to launch these gliders from larger aircraft, but they'd be able to deliver hundreds of kilograms of supplies over a hundred kilometers away, and then they'd just be left where they landed, simple as that. Like many concepts that we see at trade shows, we didn't necessarily expect much to come of this idea, but we're delighted to report that the folks behind it--Logistic Gliders Inc. (LGI), based in Dixon, Calif.--have recently concluded a successful series of flight tests with the U.S. Marine Corps. There are two different kinds of gliders that LGI is working on: The LG-1K, which can carry about 300 kg, and the larger LG-2K, which can carry over 700 kg.