Air Force special operations crews are using Northern Viking 2026 in Iceland to test cargo gliders designed to reach troops in remote and contested territory.

The training focuses on delivering vital supplies when conventional logistics routes are unavailable, threatened, or simply too distant.

The exercise was held this month near Akureyri, a city in northern Iceland whose rugged surroundings offer a demanding environment for long range operations.

Personnel from the 352d Special Operations Wing planned to simulate resupplying ground forces with gliders launched from MC 130 cargo aircraft.

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“Basically, we’ll be employing non-standard airdrop platforms to deliver logistical and medical supplies to far-forward troops,” said the 352nd’s commander for the exercise in a press release that did not identify the officer.

“We specifically want to train in long-range resupply in contested environments and intend to airdrop a powered glider to a detachment of fellow U.S. servicemembers.”

“This glider will be filled with supplies and airdropped to the servicemembers on the ground, validating our capability to deliver critical supplies to SOF teams operating far beyond friendly supply lines.”

The Northern Viking announcement did not identify which glider would be used.

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However, American special operations forces trained with the Grasshopper “autonomous aerial resupply vehicle” during the Trojan Footprint exercise in North Macedonia in May.

The Iceland training reflects a growing military focus on operating across wider distances while facing increasingly sophisticated enemy surveillance and air defenses.

Special operations teams may need ammunition, food, medical gear, and communications equipment without exposing a cargo aircraft to unnecessary danger.

Air Force crews have long been capable of resupplying troops from the sky, including forces operating in dangerous combat zones.

Traditional airdrops remain useful, but aircraft generally must fly relatively close to the intended drop area, potentially placing crews and valuable airframes within reach of hostile weapons.

The Air Force has two types of expendable cargo parachutes that can release dozens of supply packages during one aircraft pass.

One is a large, low speed parachute resembling the systems used by airborne infantry when jumping into comparatively secure landing zones.

The other system is known as the “low cost, high velocity,” or LCHV parachute.

Those loads can descend at speeds reaching 60 miles per hour, making the system suitable for active battlefields where aircraft cannot afford to linger while packages float slowly toward the ground.

Cargo gliders offer a different advantage because they can travel dozens of miles after leaving the aircraft.

That allows aircrews to release supplies farther from enemy positions while still directing the cargo toward special operations personnel working beyond established supply lines.

During the May exercise in North Macedonia, American troops employed the Grasshopper after Romanian aircraft carried the systems into position.

The long, coffin shaped gliders exited through the rear of the cargo planes before beginning their flight toward the designated destination.

Once in freefall, the Grasshopper extends its wings and steers toward its programmed target.

As it approaches the landing point, the vehicle deploys a parachute to reduce its speed and place the cargo on the ground with greater precision.

Photographs released from Trojan Footprint showed troops examining one of the gliders after landing. The vehicle displayed minor damage, but the exercise demonstrated how an inexpensive, expendable platform could move supplies without risking a conventional transport aircraft near the receiving force.

Manufacturer DZYNE says the standard Grasshopper and a long range version equipped with an onboard turboprop are designed to deliver cargo accurately using affordable, expendable airframes.

Each version can carry as much as 500 pounds, enough for a meaningful package of medical supplies, ammunition, or other mission essentials.

The standard glider also emits a very low electromagnetic signal, an important feature when enemy forces are hunting for electronic signatures.

In a contested environment, staying quiet can be just as important as moving quickly, especially when the recipients are small special operations detachments.

The Grasshopper is not the only cargo glider being evaluated for military service.

Army Special Forces tested another air dropped system, the GD 2000, at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona in 2023, showing that the concept has attracted interest across the special operations community.

Northern Viking 2026 gives Air Force crews another opportunity to determine how these systems perform under realistic conditions and across substantial distances.

If the technology proves dependable, cargo gliders could become a practical tool for keeping American operators supplied while hostile forces search the wrong patch of sky.

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