SA-PGB heavy-payload cargo drones will serve US battlefields
WASHINGTON – The US Air Force will soon have heavy cargo drones that will carry a large payload, both between the US and global bases and in hotspots around the world where the US has troops. BulgarianMilitary.com has learned that Silent Arrow will produce at least 15 such unmanned aerial vehicles for initial tests by the US Air Force.
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The drone is called SA-PGB and it is clear from a company statement that it is a modified version of the company’s main 1-ton drone. For the needs of the military, the weight of the main drone will be reduced. It is assumed, according to the set specifications, that the maximum weight of the drone will have to be 500 pounds, with the payload around 350 pounds. As a mandatory condition in the specifications, the drone must be deployed at a high altitude and have a high speed, both when empty and when carrying military cargo.
The SA-PGB order comes directly from the U.S. Air Force Laboratory (AFRL). “We would like to thank the U.S. Special Operations Community, the Air Force, the Navy, the military, and several other organizations that have joined this award for a new life-saving drone to deliver cargo,” said Chip Yates, founder, and CEO. of Silent Arrow. “We look forward to running an exciting 2022 flight test program and quickly delivering this new capability to fighters and disaster relief organizations.”
The order of at least 15 cargo drones from the U.S. The Air Force Laboratory (AFRL) predicts that the US military will test unmanned aerial vehicles both on its territory and in places where the Pentagon has deployed US troops. Experts suggest that the AFRL will test the drone’s potential in various tactical situations.
SA-PGB will be designed to work both alone and in a swarm, through multiple units. It must be compatible with most software solutions used by the United States Air Force. SA-PGB will have to be easily stored in US military transport aircraft. Its dimensions for easy refueling will have to be compatible with both the Cessna Caravan civilian aircraft and the C-17 military aircraft.
Silent Arrow’s headquarters in Irvine, California, is designing the new cargo drone. Once the company is completed, it will have to send all 15 units to Pendleton, Oregon, where the U.S. Air Force and AFRL will conduct operational assessments and flight tests.
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