2017 AFRL Commanders Challenge

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John Farris and Fabian Pacheco, move a wing into place on the Team Kirtland craft Feb. 26, 2018, as they prepare it for the Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge on the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala. Team Kirtland was on of four teams entering the competition to design and demonstrate a system for resupplying troops in remote areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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John Farris, U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center, bolts a wing onto the Team Kirtland aircraft Feb. 26, 2018, as he and his teammates prepare for the Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge on the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala. One of the goals of the challenge was to get teams to take a fresh look at ways to overcome the obstacles faced in meeting the needs of forward-deployed troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Members of Team Kirtland assemble their unmanned, ultra-light aircraft Feb. 26, 2018, in a training area on Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala. The team from Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., was one of the four teams responding to the Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge to come up with innovative ways to resupply troops in remote areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Senior Airman Rob Dome, Eglin Air Force Base, assembles the tail rotor of a radio-controlled helicopter Feb. 26, 2018, on the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., while preparing for the 2017/2018 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge. Teams from Wright-Patterson, Hanscom and Kirtland AFBs joined the Eglin team in competition to meet the challenge of resupplying isolated troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Senior Airman Rob Dome, Eglin Air Force Base, assembles the tail rotor of a radio-controlled helicopter Feb. 26, 2018, on the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., while preparing for the 2017/2018 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge. Teams from Wright-Patterson, Hanscom and Kirtland AFBs joined the Eglin team in competition to meet the challenge of resupplying isolated troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Senior Airman Rob Dome, Eglin Air Force Base, assembles the tail rotor of a radio-controlled helicopter Feb. 26, 2018, on the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., while preparing for the 2017/2018 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge. Teams from Wright-Patterson, Hanscom and Kirtland AFBs joined the Eglin team in competition to meet the challenge of resupplying isolated troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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A member of the Eglin Air Force Base Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge team attaches rotor blades to a remote control helicopter on Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 26, 2018. The Team Eglin concept was to use the helicopter drop to a canister, with autorotating blades to slow it’s fall, to resuply troops. (U.S. Air Force photos by R.J. Oriez)

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A member of the Eglin Air Force Base Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge team attaches rotor blades to a remote control helicopter on Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 26, 2018. The Team Eglin concept was to use the helicopter drop to a canister, with autorotating blades to slow it’s fall, to resuply troops. (U.S. Air Force photos by R.J. Oriez)

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A competitor reaches into a tangle of wires Feb. 26, 2018, trouble shooting a problem with a radio-controlled aircraft prior to the start of the demonstration phase of the Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s challenge at the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala. Competitors used a number of different aerial platforms in their efforts to meet the challenge. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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James Liu, Kirtland Air Force Base, uses a remote control Feb. 26, 2018 in a preflight check of Team Kirtland’s remote-controlled ultra-light aircraft in preparation for the Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge on the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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First Lt. XXXXX (Please check WPAFB Global for first name) Ledford, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, briefs Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge judges Feb 26, 2018on the smart-application the Wright-Patterson team created to help warfighters and support bases efficiently and quickly resupply remote troops out in the field. The competition, held on the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala., had the goal of getting teams to take a fresh look at ways to overcome the obstacles faced in meeting the needs of forward-deployed troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Erin Sowers, Team Wright-Patterson leader, demonstrates to Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge judges Feb. 26, 2018, in real time, how software produced by her team can help remote warfighters get quickly resupplied. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Erin Sowers, Team Wright-Patterson leader, demonstrates to Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge judges Feb. 26, 2018, in real time, how software produced by her team can help remote warfighters get quickly resupplied. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Members of Team Hanscom fill a weather balloon with helium Feb. 27, 2018, as they prepare for their 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge demonstration at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Teams from Wright-Patterson, Eglin and Kirtland AFBs joined the Hanscom team in competition to meet the challenge of developing a solution for resupplying isolated troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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A Team Hanscom presenter demonstrates to 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge judges Feb. 27, 2018, how software produced by her team can help remote warfighters get quickly resupplied. Hanscom’s plan was to couple the software with a combination of balloon and glider to make the actual deliveries; however, in two separate attempts, the weather balloon popped before it could be launched. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez) (Badges were obscured for security reasons)

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A Team Hanscom presenter demonstrates to 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge judges Feb. 27, 2018, how software produced by her team can help remote warfighters get quickly resupplied. Hanscom’s plan was to couple the software with a combination of balloon and glider to make the actual deliveries; however, in two separate attempts, the weather balloon popped before it could be launched. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez) (Badges were obscured for security reasons)

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Members of the Kirtland Air Force Base 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge team load the payload on to their remote-controlled, ultra-light aircraft in preparation for their team demonstration Feb. 27, 2018. Their concept was to drop an autonomous vehicle, loaded with supplies, which would then use GPS to find it’s way to the warfighters in need. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Members of the Kirtland Air Force Base 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge team load the payload on to their remote-controlled, ultra-light aircraft in preparation for their team demonstration Feb. 27, 2018. Their concept was to drop an autonomous vehicle, loaded with supplies, which would then use GPS to find it’s way to the warfighters in need. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Derick Buckley, Team, Kirtland, repairs a broken electrical cable on his team’s radio-controlled, ultra-light aircraft Feb. 27, 2018, prior to Kirtland’s 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge demonstration at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Competitors used a number of different aerial platforms in their efforts to meet the challenge of resupplying troops in a remote area. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Anthony Callaham, Team Kirtland team member, works to repair a broken servo on his team’s radio-controlled, ultra-light aircraft Feb. 27, 2018, prior to Kirtland’s 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge demonstration at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Kirtland’s concept to meet the challenge of resupplying isolated, forward-deployed troops was to drop a small, autonomous vehicle loaded with supplies that would then be able its own way to a rendezvous point. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Anthony Callaham, Team Kirtland team member, works to repair a broken servo on his team’s radio-controlled, ultra-light aircraft Feb. 27, 2018, prior to Kirtland’s 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge demonstration at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Kirtland’s concept to meet the challenge of resupplying isolated, forward-deployed troops was to drop a small, autonomous vehicle loaded with supplies that would then be able its own way to a rendezvous point. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Members of the Team Kirtland use three separate scales, one under each wheel, to come up with the total weight their radio-controlled, ultra-light aircraft and payload Feb. 27, 2018, prior to it’s launch in their 2017 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander’s Challenge demonstration at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The had the goal of getting teams to take a fresh look at ways to overcome the obstacles faced in meeting the needs of forward-deployed troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)