Air Force debuts pilotless cargo flights in the Pacific
The service incorporated remotely-operated flights into its massive REFORPAC exercise as it aims to make cargo flights cheaper.
Lauren C. Williams | September 4, 2025 10:46 PM ET
Air Force Asia-Pacific Drones
Autonomous cargo flights across the Pacific were a little-known highlight this summer at the Air Force’s massive Resolute Force Pacific exercise, designed to prepare for a potential conflict with China.
The flights between multiple Hawaiian islands, operated by a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan powered by Joby Aviation’s Superpilot software, were remotely operated from Guam, which is about 4,000 miles away. The goal is to make logistics flights in the vast theater cheaper during wartime.
“A safety pilot was on board each flight to monitor the system and intervene, if necessary, though no manual inputs were required,” according to the command’s website.
The Air Force has previously tested autonomous cargo flights during military exercises, but this was the first time in the Indo-Pacific, and the first time they were tested “against real-world challenges such as long distances, dynamic routing, diverse weather, and operations with allies and partners,” a Pacific Air Forces spokesperson told Defense One via email.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/09/air-force-debuts-pilotless-cargo-flights-pacific/407918/?oref=d1-featured-river-top
