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Leidos, in collaboration with autonomous aviation firm Elroy Air, has received approval to commence flight demonstrations of a prototype uncrewed cargo aircraft designed to resupply forward-deployed forces.
The aircraft, known as the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL), is being developed for the US Navy and Marine Corps under the Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program.
Flight testing was scheduled to begin at the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, with initial trials set in July 2024. The trials are part of a broader contract awarded in 2023 to develop and showcase a medium-sized autonomous logistics platform capable of resupplying Marine Corps units operating in austere or contested environments.
Leidos’ senior vice president and head of airborne systems, Tim Freeman, said the milestone was a significant achievement, saying, “Leidos is pleased to team with Elroy Air to bring this critical capability to the warfighter. Approval to proceed to test is a major milestone and the result of months of hard work by the team.”
The centrepiece of the collaboration is Elroy Air’s Chaparral aircraft, a cutting-edge hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing system.
The Chaparral features a “lift-plus-cruise” configuration combining vertical lift rotors with fixed-wing flight, enabling longer-range, and efficient operations without the need for runways. Built around a carbon composite airframe, the system includes modular, automated cargo pods designed to enable zero-touch logistics while reducing reliance on personnel in high-threat environments.
Dave Merrill, CEO and co-founder of Elroy Air, emphasised the platform’s potential to revolutionise expeditionary resupply, saying, “We’re excited to work with Leidos to provide these critical capabilities to US and allied forces.”
The MARV-EL program aims to fill a critical gap in US Marine Corps operations by delivering a “middle-weight” uncrewed logistics solution – one that can operate when traditional ground convoys or manned aircraft are unavailable due to enemy threat, terrain challenges, weather or conflicting operational demands.
The system is particularly suited to supporting Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, a modern concept involving small, mobile, dispersed Marine units operating across remote island chains or littoral environments.
Merrill explained the importance the MARV-EL will play in supporting this doctrine shift, saying, “We’ve been designing Chaparral from the beginning to move cargo and resupply troops in the battlespace without putting crews in harm’s way. We look forward to demonstrating these capabilities and supporting the Marine Corps’ goals for expeditionary logistics.”
Freeman added, “We look forward to demonstrating how the Leidos and Elroy Air MARV-EL solution will help deliver a logistics advantage to the Marines and other branches of the military.”
For Australia and other Indo-Pacific allies, this technology has significant implications for future military logistics and contested resupply, particularly in archipelagic regions.
The success of the MARV-EL trials could inform similar capability pursuits by the Australian Defence Force, particularly as it explores more agile, distributed and autonomous systems in support of forward-deployed forces under its own Force Structure Plan and AUKUS Pillar II technology cooperation.
