Australia launches cargo UAV from C-130J Hercules

The Air Launched Delivery Drone (Aladdin) at RAAF Base Edinburgh in June 2026. The UAV's cargo container can be seen in the background. (Commonwealth of Australia/FSGT Rob Hack)

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has launched a domestically developed cargo-delivery unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from an airborne Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft for the first time, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has said.

The launch was conducted in mid-July during Exercise ‘Jericho Dawn' in Cultana, South Australia, and involved the Air Launched Delivery Drone (Aladdin) developed by the RAAF's Jericho Disruptive Innovations programme, according to the DoD.

“The launch marked a milestone for air force innovation by moving a prototype capability beyond the laboratory and into a military operating environment,” the DoD said.

The department added that the “launch demonstrated the increasingly important ability to integrate and operationalise innovation to ensure the future force adapts as quickly as the strategic environment demands”.

Aladdin is capable of carrying up to 35 kg (77 lbs) of relief supplies, communications equipment, or critical parts, according to the DoD.

The UAV was tested during the exercise because it had “reached a maturity level”, said Wing Commander Keirin Joyce, the officer in charge of ‘Jericho Dawn'.

“We really wanted to take it to tactical altitudes and speeds that are representative of the C-130J,” he added.

In video footage published by the RAAF on 11 July, the quadcopter UAV was shown being launched by hand from the rear ramp of a C-130J before stabilising itself in mid-air. The UAV landed safely, the DoD said. The footage also showed the UAV being unclipped from its cargo container, which the DoD said is “no bigger than a wheelie bin”.