The first autonomous cargo helicopter.

It may seem strange at first glance, but this is the new aircraft called R66 Turbine Truck, basically it is a helicopter without a cockpit, developed by Robinson in collaboration with Sikorsky. This machine represents a radical change in the way we began air transportation, because instead of carrying people it was designed exclusively to transport cargo.

By completely eliminating the crew space, the engineers achieved more useful space, less weight and greater efficiency. Instead of the traditional cabin, the R66 has clamshell doors in the front where the cargo is stored, meanwhile, the control of the aircraft is in charge of an autonomy system called Matrix, developed by Sikorsky, that is, the helicopter can operate without a human pilot on board.

But this idea did not come out of nowhere, the concept had already been tested in a larger version based on the famous Black Hawk military helicopter, in that model called Uhawk, the cabin was also removed and replaced by a fully autonomous system, the difference is that the R66 takes that technology to a much more accessible level, it is smaller, lighter and much cheaper.

Equipped with a Rollsroyce RR300 turboshaft engine, the R66 has a maximum weight of about 1,300 kg and can carry up to 544 kg of its load, its cruising speed is around 220 km/h with a flight range of approximately 4 hours. If completely eliminating the pilot from an aircraft already seems like a bold step, this idea of ​​​​autonomy is not just staying in the sky.