{"id":35819,"date":"2026-04-30T20:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T20:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/04\/30\/pacific-marines-will-be-first-to-test-drive-new-pilot-optional-helicopter\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T21:05:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T21:05:42","slug":"pacific-marines-will-be-first-to-test-drive-new-pilot-optional-helicopter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/industry\/techwatch\/2026\/04\/30\/pacific-marines-will-be-first-to-test-drive-new-pilot-optional-helicopter\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacific Marines will be first to test-drive new pilot-optional helicopter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The biggest of the aircraft planned for the Marines\u2019 arsenal of unmanned flying logistics<\/a> trucks is expected to be put through its paces at one of the Corps\u2019 littoral regiments in the Pacific next year, officials said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service is \u201caggressively pursuing\u201d an operational demo in 2027 for the Aerial Logistics Connector<\/a>, or ALC, said Lt. Col. Ben Link, head of vertical takeoff and landing concepts for the Marines\u2019 Cunningham Group, an aviation-focused innovation unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will fight with prototypes and rapidly learn and refine our requirements,\u201d Link told an audience at the Modern Day Marine exposition in Washington, D.C. \u201cALC\u2019s mission is clear and critical \u2014 to provide autonomous airborne logistics to sustain the stand-in force. ALC is a key component to all-domain logistics, which enables [the Department of Defense], ensuring our distributed units remain supplied, lethal and combat-ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last June, Airbus and the Alexandria, Va.-based Parry Labs announced a partnership to develop a drone version of the UH-72 Lakota helicopter for the ALC program<\/a>. This month, the team, working alongside L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI, announced the aircraft\u2019s fourth autonomous flight test, also saying they demonstrated the relevant technologies aboard an Airbus H-145 Multi-Role Light-Twin helicopter<\/a>, \u201cexecuting autonomous flight while avoiding obstacles and safely landing in conditions that mirror real-world environments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near Earth Autonomy is also working on ALC, conducting an autonomous test flight last year<\/a> on a Leonardo AW139 helicopter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALC is not to be confused with Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle \u2014 Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL), a similarly sized autonomous logistics chopper. This month, Near Earth and Lockheed Martin received separate prototyping contracts or MARV-EL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the Marine Corps is likely still tinkering with its concepts for the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re very complimentary, very similar requirements, but we\u2019re taking a deep look at where we are today and where that system needs to go,\u201d Link said. \u201cAs it stands today, MARV-EL is designed to be an organic logistics air vehicle owned and operated by the ground force. ALC is general support to the [Marine Air-Ground Task Force], owned and operated by the aviation side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, the plan to push ALC out to one of the Marine Littoral Regiments in the Pacific for tinkering shows a growing interest in using these units for testing, experimentation and concept development. In 2025, leaders of the Okinawa-based 12th MLR hailed the utility of the autonomous low-profile vessel (ALPV)<\/a>, a logistics platform based on a narco-sub that was sent to them for testing. In planning guidance released last October, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith announced that the semi-submersibles would be transitioning to a program of record for the Corps based on their trial period in the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\t