Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE:LMT), 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.

Executive Perspectives

“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. “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.”

Why It Matters

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.