Rotorcraft manufacturer Piasecki is taking over development of Kargo, an autonomous cargo drone being developed for the US military.
Piasecki is acquiring all intellectual property and assets associated with the Kargo drone program. All R&D and operational activities are to be relocated to Piasecki’s Heliplex facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
Kargo is a medium-lift, autonomous drone that has completed fully autonomous flight testing for the US Army and Marines. The program is being run under an initial US$12 million award from the Marine Corps Autonomous Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics Program (MARV-EL) – two full-scale prototypes have been built, and demand is expected to exceed 300 aircraft.
Designed to be portable and rugged for operations in contested and remote environments, the autonomous system can also be used in commercial operations with advanced flight controls and modular payload integration.
Piasecki said it aims to accelerate development testing towards a production variant to meet growing demand from both military and commercial customers.
“This acquisition is a perfect fit for Piasecki’s long-term vision for a family of autonomous VTOL UAS solutions to address a diverse range of customer mission requirements in both government and commercial markets,” said John Piasecki, CEO of Piasecki Aircraft Corporation.
“Kaman’s Kargo program has already achieved significant milestones. With our VTOL expertise, world-class Heliplex, and deep industry partnerships, we are positioned to accelerate Kargo’s transition from prototype to production.”
“This was a strategic decision to ensure that Kaman’s impressive UAV technology finds a home where it can thrive,” said Ross Sealfon, president and CEO of Kaman Corporation. “Piasecki’s reputation for innovation and commercialization in vertical flight solutions makes them the ideal company to take KARGO UAV to market.”
