U.S. Marines Prepare MQ-72C Lakota Autonomous Helicopter for Pacific Combat Resupply

The U.S. Marine Corps is advancing the MQ-72C Lakota autonomous helicopter toward combat resupply operations in the Pacific theater. The MQ-72C, an autonomous conversion of the UH-72 Lakota utility helicopter, is designed to deliver supplies to forward positions without exposing crews to direct fire threats. Pacific island-chain logistics present unique challenges that autonomous vertical-lift resupply is specifically intended to address. The program supports the Marine Corps' Force Design 2030 emphasis on distributed and expeditionary logistics.