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Sikorsky, Robinson unveil R66 Turbinetruck UAS helicopter
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, and Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) unveiled the R66 TURBINETRUCK, a game-changing autonomous cargo helicopter that combines Sikorsky’s proven MATRIX autonomy system with Robinson Unmanned’s new cargo UAS helicopter. Developed through a collaborative agreement, the R66 TURBINETRUCK is a flexible, autonomous platform that can be configured for a range of utility missions, including cargo delivery and resupply, tailored to civil and military operators.
The R66 TURBINETRUCK is the 21st aircraft enabled by the MATRIX system and will leverage similar features from Sikorsky’s new fully autonomous S-70UAS U-Hawk. MATRIX has been validated on aircraft ranging from small drones to strategic airlift cargo planes, delivering more than 1,000 flight hours of operational data.
“With every new platform we welcome into the MATRIX family, we widen the network of uncrewed systems to serve a variety of civil and military missions. We view the U-Hawk and R66 TURBINETRUCK as complementary bookends that meet emerging customer needs across defense and commercial segments, delivering seamless capability wherever the mission demands,” said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky, in a company news release. “Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy suite is rapidly becoming the industry standard for safe, reliable and repeatable autonomy for those missions.”
“This collaboration with Sikorsky allows us to extend the reach of the R66 into new mission-sets, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to building scalable, integrated unmanned systems,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. “We’ve taken years of flight-proven maturity and together we have optimized it for the future of autonomy. The R66 TURBINETRUCK offers an affordable and attritable custom cargo architecture designed for one thing: getting critical assets into the field autonomously and reliably.”
Remote-site resupply, contested logistics and disaster relief
The TURBINETRUCK is ideal for remote-site resupply, contested logistics and disaster relief.
- Purpose-Built for Any Mission: The TURBINETRUCK is designed for internal and external cargo operations in contested environments. Without the cockpit and crew stations, the aircraft features a high-volume fuselage, cargo floor and a nose-mounted clamshell door to facilitate rapid loading of palletized freight.
- Rapid Reconfiguration: The TURBINETRUCK and MATRIX both offer a modular open architecture approach to provide customers with flexibility to swap mission software and more.
- Commercial Airframe: Built on a proven, cost-effective airframe, the TURBINETRUCK offers a low acquisition cost and easily replaceable components, reducing total ownership cost and risk for both civil and defense operators.
- MATRIX Autonomy Integration: Sikorsky will integrate its industry-leading MATRIX suite, delivering reliable, repeatable autonomous capabilities that simplifies UAS operations while ensuring mission effectiveness and system-level safety. Like the Sikorsky U-Hawk, once loaded, an operator inputs mission goals via the MATRIX tablet. The MATRIX autonomy system automatically generates a flight plan, relying on cameras, sensors and algorithms to help navigate the TURBINETRUCK safely to its destination.
Sustained logistics
Modern military operations demand sustained logistics where crewed flight introduces unacceptable risk and ground transport is constrained or denied.
R66 TURBINETRUCK repurposes the proven Robinson Helicopter R66 airframe into a rugged, high-performance uncrewed cargo aircraft — preserving turbine power and endurance, production maturity, and global sustainment while dedicating the entire cabin to mission payload.
The reinforced, reconfigurable flat floor supports varied loading requirements, up to 1,300 lb of internal payload, and easy under-floor access. Seven integrated tie-down points provide flexible load securing across a range of cargo configurations.
Laterally opening clamshell doors at the nose of the aircraft allow direct loading of full-width cargo, simplifying logistics workflows and reducing ground handling complexity. Integrated passive sealing and water diversion supports rain-resistant operation.
Purpose-designed to support the integration of multiple autonomous, AI-driven, remotely and optionally piloted flight solutions, allowing operators to select control architectures that meet operational requirements without dependency on a single autonomy provider.
Photo credit: Robinson Unmanned
