Sikorsky and Robinson Unmanned have been awarded a $15.5 million contract by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) for the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) Increment 2 program.
The contract covers the delivery and integration of the R66 Turbinetruck, an autonomous cargo helicopter developed by Sikorsky and Robinson Unmanned. The platform combines Sikorsky’s autonomous flight system with the R66 airframe from Robinson Helicopter Company.
MARV-EL addresses a logistics gap for the Marine Corps, providing an uncrewed aerial system capable of transporting payloads between 1,300 and 2,500 pounds to a combat radius of 100 nautical miles. The system is designed to operate via a digital handheld device, supporting resupply missions in varied and challenging environments.
The R66 Turbinetruck offers a mid-weight logistics solution intended to operate from forward bases, ship decks, or unimproved landing zones. It is positioned between small tactical drones and large strategic airlifters within the Marine Corps’ unmanned aerial logistics framework, according to the companies.
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February 12, 2026
Robinson Unmanned will deliver the first R66 Turbinetruck to Sikorsky for integration, testing, and evaluation. Demonstrations will focus on the autonomy system’s compatibility with the R66 airframe and its open architecture design.
Sikorsky is responsible for integrating its autonomous technology into the R66 Turbinetruck, adapting processes used on other platforms to meet the specific requirements of this aircraft. Operator workflow is designed to allow mission objectives to be entered via a digital tablet, with the system generating and executing a flight plan autonomously.
