Photo By Sgt. GEON HO LEE | U.K. Royal Navy Officers and U.S. Army Soldiers pose for photo behind the T-150 drone...... read more read more
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RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, South Korea — Ammunition, water, and even wounded soldiers could soon move across the battlefield without a pilot in sight. The U.S. Army and the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy tested a T-150 UAS on Aug. 28, showcasing how unmanned systems may transform frontline resupply and medical evacuation in future wars.
The joint event, hosted by Eighth Army, highlighted how drones are becoming a critical part of the Army’s modernization push under the Army Transformation Initiative. Leaders say the technology could ease one of combat’s toughest challenges: moving supplies and casualties quickly in contested environments.
“Resupply in a large-scale combat environment remains one of our greatest challenges,” said Lt. Col. Robert McDonough, Eighth Army’s aeromedical officer. “Leveraging drones will help us move supplies to the front lines faster and could even be used to transport wounded soldiers to ambulance exchange points. That capability could preserve the “golden hour” in large scale combat operations and drastically increase survivability.”
Planning for the event took six weeks and involved securing airspace, host nation spectrum clearances, moving troops, and coordinating logistics with the United Kingdom and Republic of Korea. The test showcased the drone’s ability to carry different types of supplies over operational distances and deliver them quickly after receiving calls for support.
“This joint training here in South Korea is outstanding,” said Royal Navy Lt. James Couling, 700X NAS flight commander. “It allows us to operate in a new environment, practice carrying different types of supplies, and integrate with U.S. forces as we test concepts for personnel movement and even casualty evacuation by drone.”
Army medical leaders said the exercise was especially valuable for testing medical logistics.
“Deployment of drones like this will decrease the time it takes to resupply the front line with critical Class VIII medical supplies,” said Capt. Ryan Schonewolf, Environmental Science Officer with the 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion. “This helps us modernize our ability to test both medical resupply and casualty evacuation.”
This demonstration reflects the broader initiative for how the Army is preparing for future battlefield operations. The service is fielding next-generation capabilities—from long-range fires and unmanned systems to the M1E3 tank and the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft—as it modernizes for large-scale combat operations.
For Eighth Army, the UAS test is just one piece of that effort. Stationed on the Korean peninsula, the unit serves as the Army’s only forward-deployed field Army conducting daily real-world missions to deter adversaries while also serving as a proving ground for new technology.
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2025 01:11 |
| Story ID: | 547944 |
| Location: | RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, GYEONGGIDO [KYONGGI-DO], KR |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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