AUSA 2025: Airbus US showcases multirole capabilities of unmanned MQ-72C helicopter

A model of Airbus USʼ unmanned MQ-72C Logistics Connector at AUSA in October 2025. (Janes/Jeremiah Cushman)

Airbus US Space & Defense showcased its unmanned MQ-72C Logistics Connector helicopter, which it is offering for the US Marine Corpsʼ (USMCʼs) Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) programme, at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) conference in Washington, DC, from 13 to 15 October.

The company highlighted additional potential roles for the system, such as deploying air-launched effects (ALEs), medical evacuation (medevac), and intelligence gathering, which could be of interest to the US Army.

Payload

For the ALC programme, the requirement is to carry two Joint Modular Intermodal Containers (JMICs), Jaysen Yochim, senior director for the ALC programme for Airbus US Space & Defense, told Janes at AUSA on 13 October.

The MQ-72C's open cabin can accommodate as many as three JMICs, although this gets heavy, he said. Rollers on the floor enable cargo or mission systems to be moved into and out of the helicopter through the nose, either side, or rear.

The rear opening is the smallest. Airbus US Space & Defense looked at the space and asked whether the JMICs needed to be taken off the aircraft, Yochim said. “If this is going to multiple locations, maybe all they have to do is lock” the JMIC down and open it up facing the rear door.

“You can actually have an area here that you don't have to secure all the individual pieces of equipment, you can just put it in [the JMIC], and now you don't have to worry about load plans as much,” he added.

Ground support

Discussions with the USMC have highlighted a need to consider how ground personnel will interact with the helicopter, Yochim said. He showed