Publisher's Synopsis
Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are proliferating in both commercial and military markets. Blood makes for an interesting UAV delivery case study because blood products (whole blood, red blood cells, and platelets) have a finite shelf life and unique constraints regarding how they must be transported and stored. The medical community's blood supply chain can potentially benefit from a pairing with a delivery platform that allows for on-demand capability and greater flexibility. In this report, the authors assess the utility of autonomous UAVs-specifically, small fixed-wing UAVs-for two distinct military missions of interest to the Joint Staff: logistical resupply of blood units to medical treatment facilities and emergency delivery of whole blood to traumatically injured personnel at forward-operating locations in medical situations where time is critical. The authors define a notional blood delivery mission space in terms of
