Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work (center) asks questions about the Joint Tactical Aerial Resupply Vehicle, or JTARV, a rectangular-shaped quadcopter that currently carries up to 300 pounds of cargo. (Photo Credit: Jhi Scott, ARL Public Affairs)
“In a firefight, when a Soldier is running low on ammunition, resupply is critical,” said Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Guenther, an enlisted advisor at the laboratory. “I’ve had situations where speedballs were dropped off to me by helicopters.”
In the military context, a “speedball” refers to a bag of supplies, usually ammunition, dropped from a plane or helicopter to soldiers in the field.
“What are the implications of that?” asked Army researcher Tim Vong. “We’re working with users in the joint community to look at this concept.”
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