US Air Force special operations forces are exploring whether they can use powered gliders to deliver supplies, including medical gear, to small teams operating beyond the reach of reliable supply lines.

During an ongoing international exercise in Iceland, Air Force Special Operations Command personnel plan to airdrop a powered glider packed with supplies to teammates on the ground.

Like similar military efforts examining aerial drones and ground robots, the unit is trying to learn how to sustain troops in future fights where conventional resupply may be too difficult or dangerous.

In a future conflict, particularly one in the Arctic or other remote environments, aircraft and ships may not be able to regularly move supplies to troops on the ground because of enemy threats or the sheer distance supply efforts would need to cover.

"We specifically want to train in long-range resupply in contested environments," the mission commander for the 352d Special Operations Wing, who was unnamed, said in an Air Force news release on Exercise Northern Viking 2026.

The US has been increasingly focused on the Arctic, often referred to as the "High North". Melting Arctic ice is opening new sea routes and increasing access to waters and resources that were once harder to reach, making it an area of growing strategic competition for the US and its NATO allies, Russia, and China.

The Air Force did not identify the manufacturer or model of the powered glider it intends to test. Earlier this year, Army Green Berets in Romania and Macedonia experimented with glider drones made by Dzyne, which were released by aircraft overhead and loaded with construction materials, food, and medical supplies.

A special operations logistician told Business Insider at the time that the glider, called the Grasshopper, had minimal tech onboard, making it an ideal option for troops trying to avoid giving away their position through electronic emissions.

Of the training in Iceland, the unnamed commander said that it "gives us a unique opportunity to practice like we expect to play, where we expect to play, and alongside the partners we will play with."