Green Berets tested glider drones for supply drops during a massive special operations exercise

Special operations units might rely on uncrewed glider drones to get resupplied in the near future. At the very least, the concept was put to the test during the largest special operations training exercise in Europe this month.

NATO forces, including elements from Army Special Forces, took part in the Trojan Footprint Exercise. During one part of the exercise, U.S. troops and members of the Romanian Air Force dropped Grasshopper autonomous aerial resupply vehicles from an Alenia C-27J plane over North Macedonia to reach troops on the ground.

The long, coffin-shaped device dropped out of the cargo plane, its glider wings extending to help guide it to the target before an onboard parachute fired. Photos posted to the military’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service show troops inspecting the glider on the ground, where it shows some minor damage from reaching the surface.

It’s the latest entry in the Army’s expanding efforts to use drones for logistical work and evacuations. Business Insider first reported on the testing during Trojan Footprint. The military is looking at using glider drones — autonomous aerial vehicles that can reach a target with minimal to zero electronic signature — for reaching frontline troops, according to an official who spoke to Business Insider.

The Trojan Footprint exercise brought together roughly 1,000 American special operations troops — including Special Forces and Navy SEALS — with another 2,000 from allied countries. According to U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, the exercise was meant to serve as a “testing ground for refining tactics, testing cutting-edge technology, and developing innovative operational concepts.” The exercise wrapped up on May 21.

According to manufacturer DZYNE, the Grasshopper and its long-range variant (which has an onboard turboprop) are both meant to accurately deliver a payload using a cheap and expendable frame and can each carry 500 pounds of cargo. The normal glider variant emits a very low electromagnetic signal.

The idea of gliders is appealing for modern operations. Glider drones like the Grasshopper are relatively small, have a minuscule electromagnetic footprint and are inherently meant to be single-use, disposable vehicles, perfect for escaping enemy detection. A passing cargo plane can launch one and, in theory, the glider can reach units cut off from normal supply lines or in a contested space.

Army Special Forces have been testing out such technologies. Other versions of glider drones were tested stateside at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona in 2023. The deployment of this model of glider in an exercise as big as Trojan Footprint comes as the wider Army looks at integrating drones into resupply missions.

The Army has been heavily testing various drones in recent months in Europe, not for direct combat roles, but for logistics works. Those include ground vehicles meant to ferry supplies to the front lines and using an oversized aerial drone to pick up and evacuate wounded.