The US Marine Corps has awarded a contract to Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, for the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle, Expeditionary Logistics Increment 2 programme, selecting the R66 TURBINETRUCK, an autonomous cargo helicopter developed jointly with Robinson Unmanned that combines Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy system with the Robinson R66 airframe, according to the company.
The R66 TURBINETRUCK is designed to fill a capability gap between small tactical drones and large strategic airlifters, providing a middleweight uncrewed logistics platform capable of carrying a payload of between 1,300 and 2,500 pounds to a combat radius of 100 nautical miles. The system is intended to operate from austere forward operating bases, ship decks or unimproved landing zones, delivering ammunition, medical supplies and other essential equipment at the point of need regardless of terrain, weather or enemy threat, and keeping personnel out of high-risk scenarios.
The operator workflow sees mission objectives entered into a digital tablet, with the system automatically creating a flight plan and using sensors and algorithms to guide the aircraft to the target location, a similar approach to that used on Sikorsky’s S-70UAS U-Hawk helicopter.
Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky, described the R66 TURBINETRUCK as “simple, economical and re-configurable; ideal for high-risk, hard-to-reach environments where keeping personnel out of harm’s way is essential” and said the programme extended the reach of uncrewed solutions for both civil and military customers.
David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company, said the partnership brought “the trusted performance and reliability of the R66 platform into the unmanned logistics arena” and described the TURBINETRUCK as representing “a significant step forward in expanding proven rotorcraft into scalable, autonomous cargo solutions for demanding operational environments.”
Paul Fermo, president of Robinson Unmanned, said operators needed logistics solutions that could keep pace with rapidly changing mission demands without increasing complexity, adding that by combining MATRIX’s autonomous capability with the R66 airframe, the system delivered that capability “whenever and wherever it’s needed, no matter the environment.”
Robinson Unmanned will deliver the first R66 TURBINETRUCK to Sikorsky for integration, test and evaluation and demonstration, with capability demonstrations intended to showcase MATRIX’s platform-agnostic and open architecture design operating on the new airframe.
