Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) has announced the establishment of Robinson Unmanned, a new business unit dedicated to the development and support of a full suite of remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft.
“The formation of this division expands Robinson’s current business to include the broadest range of manned and unmanned vertical lift solutions currently available, addressing a diverse set of mission requirements across civil, commercial, and defense sectors,” said the company in a press release.
“Robinson Unmanned integrates the industry-leading coaxial, modular, small UAS from its wholly owned subsidiary Ascent AeroSystems alongside the introduction of larger uncrewed platforms built on the company’s proven R44 and R66 platforms and powered by new strategic agreements with Rotor Technologies, and Sikorsky Helicopters. Through these partnerships and others to follow, Robinson Unmanned offers the broadest portfolio of open architecture platforms and technology-agnostic aircraft capable of both remotely piloted and fully autonomous operations. Paul Fermo, current president of Ascent AeroSystems will lead the Robinson Unmanned business unit as president.”
“Robinson is officially entering the ‘Era of Both,’ a fundamental shift where flight is no longer a choice between human intuition and machine precision, but the seamless integration of both. By folding the Rotor Technologies R44 remotely piloted solutions into our existing fleet of Ascent small and technology-agnostic, heavy-lift drones, we are creating a versatile ecosystem of certified, proven airframes capable of tackling any mission profile,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. “Our goal isn’t just to build better helicopters; it’s to build smarter, safer VTOL solutions. By fusing human expertise with autonomous reliability, we are massively amplifying mission capability while significantly reducing operational risk. In environments where the danger is highest, our technology is at its strongest, ensuring that we aren’t just protecting the pilot, but redefining what’s possible.”
Robinson unmanned scalable product fleet
Large UAS – Group 3 and 4 UAS Built on Proven Robinson Helicopter Airframes using common engine, drivetrain and rotor systems from Robinson manned helicopters
* R44 AIRTRUCK — a heavy-lift platform built for cargo transport, resupply and persistent surveillance missions. The R44 AIRTRUCK features the RPX autonomy suite by Rotor Technologies.
* R44 SPRAYHAWK — a precision aerial application platform purpose-built for agricultural and environmental operations. The R44 SPRAYHAWK also features the RPX autonomy suite by Rotor Technologies.
* R66 TURBINETRUCK — a next-generation unmanned cargo platform designed to support defense logistics and operations in austere environments. The initial variant of the R66 TURBINETRUCK features the proven Matrix™ autonomy system from Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company.
Small UAS – Group 1 and 2 NDAA-Compliant Coaxial UAS
* HELIUS — a pocket-sized, hand-deployable nano UAS delivering rapid aerial awareness in confined and high-risk environments.
* SPIRIT — modular and rugged, Blue UAS Cleared multi-mission UAS engineered for defense, inspection, and surveillance missions requiring dependable, aviation-grade performance.
* SPARTAN — high-performance coaxial platform designed for extended endurance, multi-sensor integration, and scalable enterprise and defense operations.
For more information
https://www.robinsonheli.com/unmanned/press/robinson-helicopter-company-establishes-robinson-unmanned-business-unit-formalizing-expansion-into-scalable-autonomous-aviation
(Image: Robinson Helicopters)