Overview
- The Marine Corps selected Sikorsky and Robinson Unmanned for MARV-EL Increment 2 with a $15.5 million contract to deliver an R66 Turbinetruck for integration, testing, evaluation, and demonstration.
- The R66 Turbinetruck pairs Robinson’s R66 helicopter airframe with Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy to target payloads of 1,300 to 2,500 pounds over roughly a 100 nautical mile combat radius.
- Sikorsky plans demonstrations that show MATRIX running as a platform-agnostic, open-architecture flight control system on the R66.
- Operators will set mission goals on a tablet and the system will generate the flight plan and fly the aircraft using onboard sensors and algorithms.
- Sikorsky draws on Aerial Logistics Connector Phase 1 and S-70UAS U-Hawk work, while the R66 approach aims for a smaller footprint and lower operating costs than larger uncrewed helicopter concepts.