Robinson Helicopter launches unmanned division

An artist's impression of Robinson's Helius co-axial UAV and control system. (Robinson Helicopter)

Robinson Helicopter Company is establishing a new business unit focused on unmanned platforms. Robinson Unmanned brings together small co-axial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) built by subsidiary Ascent AeroSystems with larger uncrewed platforms based on Robinson's R44 and R66 helicopters, using autonomy capabilities supplied through partnerships with Rotor Technologies and Sikorsky, the company said in a 10 March statement.

Robinson Unmanned will offer a broad range of “open architecture platforms and technology-agnostic aircraft capable of both remotely piloted and fully autonomous operations”, the statement said.

“By combining five decades of its high-volume, vertically integrated manufacturing expertise with advanced autonomous technology, Robinson Unmanned aims to provide the market with reliable, high-volume manned and unmanned airframes for missions that require accessible and reliable readiness,” the statement said.

The portfolio includes the R44 AirTruck heavy-lift platform, the R44 SprayHawk for agricultural and environmental missions, and the R66 TurbineTruck for contested logistics missions.

On the small UAV side, products include the Helius hand-launched nano UAV; the Spirit multimission UAV; and the Spartan, designed for extended endurance and multisensor integration, according to the statement, adding that the Spirit is on the Department of Defense's (DoD's) Blue UAS Cleared Drone List.

Going unmanned

Robinson Unmanned is the result of a corporate push to develop a “multiphase strategy for autonomy”, David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter, told Janes on 3 March in an interview ahead of the Verticon exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia, from 9 to 12 March.

This was accelerated with the 2024 acquisition of Ascent AeroSystems, with its unique co-axial rotor drones, he said.