R66 TURBINETRUCK

The R66 TURBINETRUCK is an uncrewed cargo helicopter derived from the Robinson R66 turbine airframe, developed by Robinson Unmanned with Sikorsky supplying the autonomy system. It is in development rather than production, and public documentation is limited to a small number of manufacturer announcements and trade reports from 2026.

Overview

Robinson Helicopter Company established Robinson Unmanned as a business unit in March 2026, gathering several uncrewed platforms under one line. The R66 TURBINETRUCK is its turbine-powered, heavier-lift member. Robinson describes it as a large turbine-engine VTOL unmanned aircraft system and as autonomy-agnostic, meaning it can be flown autonomously or under remote piloting depending on the autonomy stack fitted.

A note on naming: this aircraft is sometimes referred to as the "R66 Nomad", but that designation does not appear in Robinson's own documentation. The manufacturer, Sikorsky, FlightGlobal and TWZ all use R66 TURBINETRUCK, which is the name used here.

Relationship to the crewed R66

The aircraft reuses the R66 production airframe, turbine engine and subsystems, which Robinson presents as a route to commonality and lower acquisition cost. The fuselage is reconfigured for freight: a high-volume cabin, a flat load-bearing floor with seven tie-down points, nose-mounted clamshell doors, a right-hand baggage door and an external cargo hook. Robinson has not published dimensions, maximum take-off weight, endurance, speed or ceiling for the uncrewed variant, so the figures for the crewed R66 are deliberately not carried across into the data above.

Within Robinson's uncrewed line the TURBINETRUCK sits above the R44 AIRTRUCK, a piston-powered conversion with a 454 kg useful load that operates under the US Experimental Category and has commercial approval in Brazil and elsewhere. Robinson Unmanned's published platform list also includes Helius, Spirit, Spartan and the R44 SPRAYHAWK.

Development history

On 10 March 2026 Sikorsky and Robinson announced the integration of Sikorsky's MATRIX autonomy system into the R66 TURBINETRUCK, described as the twenty-first aircraft type MATRIX has been applied to. On 27 April 2026 Sikorsky received a US$15.5 million award for Increment 2 of the United States Marine Corps Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics programme, known as MARV-EL, under which Robinson Unmanned is to deliver the first TURBINETRUCK to Sikorsky for integration, testing, evaluation and demonstration. The competing submission is an uncrewed Bell 505 developed by Near Earth Autonomy, Moog and XP Services. In June 2026 Robinson and Skyryse separately announced work integrating the SkyOS flight-control system on an R66.

Published performance figures for the uncrewed aircraft are limited to payload and range. Robinson gives 590 kg of internal cargo capacity plus an external hook; FlightGlobal and TWZ cite a useful load of 680 kg. The MARV-EL requirement itself is a payload of 590 to 1,134 kg, a range above 600 km and a combat radius of 185 km. No first flight of a TURBINETRUCK has been publicly reported.

Missions and regulatory status

Robinson states the aircraft is intended for internal and external cargo carriage, remote-site resupply, contested logistics and disaster relief. Operation is tablet-based: the operator enters mission goals and the MATRIX system generates the flight plan. Robinson states compliance with CMMC, NDAA, Blue UAS and Green UAS requirements. No FAA type certification is documented.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Robinson R66 Nomad?

No source uses that name. The uncrewed R66 is the R66 TURBINETRUCK, which is how Robinson, Sikorsky, FlightGlobal and TWZ refer to it.

Who builds the R66 TURBINETRUCK?

Robinson Unmanned supplies the R66-derived airframe; Sikorsky, part of Lockheed Martin, integrates its MATRIX autonomy system.

How much can it carry?

Robinson gives 590 kg of internal cargo plus an external hook. FlightGlobal and TWZ cite a useful load of 680 kg.

Has the R66 TURBINETRUCK flown?

No first flight has been publicly reported. As of the April 2026 contract award the first aircraft had still to be delivered for integration and testing.

What is MARV-EL?

The United States Marine Corps Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics programme. Sikorsky received a US$15.5 million Increment 2 award in April 2026 with the TURBINETRUCK.

How does it differ from the R44 AIRTRUCK?

The AIRTRUCK is the smaller piston-powered conversion with a 454 kg useful load; the TURBINETRUCK is the turbine-powered, heavier-lift aircraft in the same line.