Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary Sikorsky and Robinson Unmanned have won a $15.5m USMC contract for the MARV-EL Increment 2 initiative. The post Sikorsky, Robinson Unmanned win USMC contract for MARV-EL programme appeared first on Naval Technology.
The MARV-EL programme aims to provide a reliable “middleweight” uncrewed logistics platform.
Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary Sikorsky and Robinson Unmanned have won a $15.5m contract from the US Marine Corps (USMC) to deliver the R66 Turbinetruck helicopter for the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) Increment 2 initiative.
R66 Turbinetruck is an autonomous cargo helicopter developed through collaboration between Sikorsky and Robinson Unmanned, which is a recently formed uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) division of Robinson Helicopter Company.
Featuring Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy system integrated with Robinson Helicopter Company’s R66 airframe, the helicopter is expected to carry payloads between 1,300 and 2,500 lbs to a combat radius of 100 nautical miles.
The uncrewed aircraft is intended to support operations when ground or crewed aviation resources are not available and to minimise personnel exposure in high-risk situations.
Robinson Unmanned will deliver the first R66 Turbinetruck to Sikorsky for integration, test, evaluation, and demonstration.
During these demonstrations, Sikorsky intends to showcase the MATRIX system’s platform-agnostic and open architecture operating on the R66 airframe.
The R66 Turbinetruck will employ many features developed for Sikorsky’s S-70UAS U-Hawk helicopter, including the process for mission planning.
Operators enter mission objectives into a digital tablet, after which the system generates a flight plan and guides the aircraft using onboard sensors and algorithms.
Integration with the R66 Turbinetruck will involve a smaller footprint, altered performance parameters, and reduced operating costs compared to the U-Hawk approach.
Sikorsky vice president and general manager Rich Benton said: “As we expand the MATRIX family, we also extend the reach of uncrewed solutions for both civil and military customers.
“The commercially developed R66 TURBINETRUCK is simple, economical and re-configurable; ideal for high-risk, hard-to-reach environments where keeping personnel out of harm’s way is essential.”
The USMC’s MARV-EL programme is designed to address the gap between small tactical drones and large strategic airlifters by providing a “middleweight” uncrewed logistics platform that can operate from remote forward bases, ship decks, or unprepared landing zones.
Sikorsky also took part in the USMC’s Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) Phase 1 last year and expects to apply that experience to MARV-EL Increment 2.
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