We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use. Although the cases of aircraft going down behind enemy lines are much less frequent today, when it does happen a rescue team is sent in to recover the aircrew. In doing so, more people are put at risk of being show down, so the US Air Force is looking for a risk-free alternative in the form of a people-carrying drone. As Task & Purpose reports, the US Air Force has put out a call for a "Personnel Recovery/Transport Vehicle" which is unmanned. This autonomous "aerial platform" should be capable of carrying up to four personnel and 1,440 pounds of equipment, with one medical litter available. The aircraft needs a range of at least 100 miles, hitting flight speeds above 100 knots, and is capable of landing at unprepared 50-by-50 feet locations. By removing the need for a pilot and crew, the risk of performing recovery missions is greatly reduced. No one else is put in danger while at the same time potentially allowing rescue missions to be carried out more quickly because all you need is the unmanned aircraft on standby. The solicitation by the Air Force goes on to specify the aircraft should have a low acoustic signature to avoid detection. There's also mention of advancements in Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) vehicles, which this new aircraft would need to take full advantage of. Then there's talk of an unmanned platform also being useful for transporting small teams on to the battlefield as well as rescuing them from it. With drones already playing a key role for defense (e.g. surveillance), it seems likely the Air Force will be presented with a number of solutions to this problem by existing contractors. Providing the unmanned rescue aircraft the Air Force relies on is a proud claim many companies would love to boast about.

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