Autonomous Cessna Caravan Air Ambulance To Be Tested By U.S. Military
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 with an artificial intelligence (AI) driven ‘copilot’ from Merlin Labs.
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 where immediate access to medical care can be very limited. Autonomous CASEVAC capabilities could also be very relevant in other locales, like the Pacific, where future operations could be widely spread out across constellations of small islands.
Merlin Labs announced the planned capability demonstration today, which is being conducted under the initial phase of AFRICOM’s Autonomous Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) Industry Technology Challenge. The test is currently scheduled for some time in “early U.S. government fiscal year 2027.” That fiscal cycle began on October 1.
Merlin has already been using the Cessna Grand Caravan seen here for years now to support the development of autonomous capabilities. Merlin Labs
“The 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,” according to Merlin’s release. “Following simulated patient loading, the aircraft will conduct its return mission, autonomously completing the flight and landing back at the designated location.”
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 for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and similar efforts in support of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 tanker fleet. Just yesterday, Merlin announced a new deal with SOCOM, valued at $8.9 million, for continued C-130 autonomy work.
Merlin has said previously that its flagship autonomy package, called Merlin Pilot, has flown on at least four different types of aircraft already. Merlin Pilot is designed to be scalable in form and function, 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.
“Merlin’s demonstration [for AFRICOM] is planned to show how Merlin Pilot can bring onboard autonomy to aircraft supporting CASEVAC missions, managing flight planning, navigation, contingency response and mission completion without relying on a remote ground station or flight crew,” the release adds. “The system is designed to plan the optimal route from an operator’s tasking, replan dynamically around hazards, communicate with air traffic control using natural language processing, and continue safely along its authorized plan if a communications link is lost.”
The Grand Caravan’s “large cargo door and flat-floor cabin will allow ground level litter loading without rotor wash, winching or special equipment, and its cabin will be configured with an air ambulance medical module providing oxygen, power, and mounting for patient monitoring equipment,” the release also notes. “Merlin believes there is a clear follow-on path to operational scale using a [Beechcraft] King Air variant, which would provide twin-engine redundancy, greater payload capacity, and additional cabin space for multiple litter patients, medical equipment, and an in-flight attendant. The same architecture could also support autonomous logistics and personnel movement across dispersed operating locations.”
A stock image highlighting the Cessna Grand Caravan’s large cargo door. Cessna/Textron
As already mentioned, the use case for autonomous CASEVAC capabilities to support U.S. operations in Africa is clear-cut. The scale and scope of AFRICOM operations means that American forces are often dispersed in small groups at far-flung operating locations far from higher-level medical care. Options for getting individuals to a hospital, even after accidents in relatively low-risk areas, can be extremely limited. Medical professionals often talk about the so-called “golden hour,” which refers to the first 60 minutes after a serious injury occurs. The chances of saving that person’s life or otherwise preventing serious permanent damage are highest within that window.
“AFRICOM’s area of responsibility spans vast distances, and security threats can prevent access to nearby medical facilities, often forcing longer and more dangerous patient transport. In these conditions, transporting a wounded noncombatant or service member to medical care is both time-critical and logistically complex,” Merlin says in its release. “Conventional casualty evacuation relies on crewed aircraft, while remotely piloted systems require persistent command-and-control links that may be unavailable in austere or
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