{"id":19409,"date":"2026-11-12T17:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T20:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=19409"},"modified":"2026-11-12T17:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T20:05:16","slug":"ambulancia-aerea-con-capacidades-de-vuelo-autonomo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=19409","title":{"rendered":"Ambulancia a\u00e9rea con capacidades de vuelo aut\u00f3nomo"},"content":{"rendered":"

El art\u00edculo de The War Zone (TWZ) informa que el Comando \u00c1frica de EE.UU. (AFRICOM) planea probar una versi\u00f3n de ambulancia a\u00e9rea del avi\u00f3n Cessna Grand Caravan dotada de capacidades de vuelo aut\u00f3nomo. Los ensayos se realizar\u00e1n en Marruecos y est\u00e1n programados para el 2027. El proyecto forma parte de un desaf\u00edo tecnol\u00f3gico de la industria aeron\u00e1utica, para dotar de capacidades necesarias para misiones de evacuaci\u00f3n de bajas (CASEVAC) sin necesidad de tripulaci\u00f3n a bordo. La tecnolog\u00eda de pilotaje aut\u00f3nomo est\u00e1 a cargo de la empresa Merlin, que incluye un sofisticado m\u00f3dulo m\u00e9dico equipado con ox\u00edgeno y soportes para monitores en la cabina. El objetivo principal es evaluar opciones no tripuladas seguras para rescatar heridos en lugares remotos, mitigando los riesgos para los pilotos.<\/p>\n

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U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is set to demonstrate a potential autonomous casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) capability in Morocco. The test will involve a Cessna Model 208B Grand Caravan<\/a> with an artificial intelligence (AI) driven \u2018copilot\u2019 from Merlin Labs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ability to send out pilot-optional or even entirely uncrewed aircraft to rescue injured personnel could be extremely valuable for supporting U.S. operations in Africa. American forces on that continent are routinely deployed in remote areas<\/a> where immediate access to medical care<\/a> can be very limited. Autonomous CASEVAC capabilities could also be very relevant in other locales, like the Pacific<\/a>, where future operations could be widely spread out across constellations of small islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Merlin Labs announced the planned capability demonstration today<\/a>, which is being conducted under the initial phase of AFRICOM\u2019s Autonomous Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) Industry Technology Challenge. The test is currently scheduled for some time in \u201cearly U.S. government fiscal year 2027.\u201d That fiscal cycle began on October 1.<\/p>\n

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Merlin Labs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe demonstration will encompass the full mission, from initial tasking and flight planning continuing through autonomous departure and enroute flight to an austere casualty collection site,\u201d according to Merlin\u2019s release. \u201cFollowing simulated patient loading, the aircraft will conduct its return mission, autonomously completing the flight and landing back at the designated location.\u201d<\/p>\n

AFRICOM has awarded Merlin a very small $500,000 contract to support this demonstration. The company has already received millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. military for separate autonomy projects. This includes the development of autonomous capabilities for C-130-type aircraft<\/a> for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and similar efforts in support of the U.S. Air Force\u2019s KC-135 tanker fleet<\/a>. Just yesterday, Merlin announced a new deal with SOCOM<\/a>, valued at $8.9 million, for continued C-130 autonomy work.<\/p>\n

Merlin has said previously that its flagship autonomy package, called Merlin Pilot<\/a>, has flown on at least four different types of aircraft already. Merlin Pilot is designed to be scalable in form and function<\/a>, and can be configured to enable pilot-optional flight capability. The system can also increase safety margins during crewed flight operations by reducing task burdens (and resulting fatigue) for the humans onboard and helping alert them to potential technical faults.<\/p>\n