Robinson Helicopter Company, which in March unveiled a future family of autonomous rotorcraft, will turn its venerable R66 into an uncrewed asset for defense applications.
Skyryse—which bills its SkyOS platform as a universal operating system for flight, capable of simplifying the controls of any aircraft—on Tuesday revealed it is working with the manufacturer’s Robinson Unmanned unit to develop a Group 4 uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for a wide range of military missions. The partners said the SkyOS-equipped R66 will be capable of launching effects, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and even crewed-uncrewed teaming as a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA).
The U.S. military and other armed forces are exploring autonomous CCA models as “loyal wingmen” to complement crewed fighter jets. The Air Force this month awarded manufacturing contracts to General Atomics and Anduril for their FQ-42 and FQ-44 CCA designs, previously designated YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A. It plans to acquire about 1,000 CCA systems.
“Manufacturing the SkyOS-powered, R66-based 4 UAS is a natural extension of what Robinson does best—producing reliable, high-quality aircraft at scale,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter, in a statement. “By integrating SkyOS into Robinson’s production ecosystem, we’re helping bring advanced autonomy to a proven aircraft platform while creating a scalable pathway for future operational capabilities.”
Per the military’s classification, Group 4 UAS weigh more than 1,320 pounds, operate below 18,000 feet, and have no limit on speed. Examples include General Atomics’ MQ-1 Predator drone and Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout, an uncrewed helicopter.
Skyryse in a news release noted its facilities in California are within 30 miles of Robinson’s, which it said will “rapidly advance integration, flight demonstrations, and production” of the Group 4 model.
“Robinson’s manufacturing model, in which more than 85 percent of aircraft components are produced domestically, provides defense partners with a platform that reduces reliance on foreign supply chains and supports long-term fleet sustainability,” the company added.
The R66 is the core of the manufacturer’s Skyryse One, which it claims to be the first fly-by-wire helicopter commanded using a single control stick and pair of touchscreens.
Robinson is also developing the R66 Turbinetruck, an automated variant of the flagship rotorcraft that will use cameras, sensors, and algorithms for navigation and generating flight paths. The company described the Turbinetruck as a heavy-lift cargo UAS for defense logistics, with an internal payload of 1,300 pounds and cargo hook for external loads.
The manufacturer’s Unmanned division will also offer three Group 1 and 2 small UAS.
How It Would Work
Skyryse’s SkyOS system is aircraft agnostic and has been tested on both rotorcraft and fixed-wing airframes. As of February, pilots had flown SkyOS-equipped airframes for 2,800 hours, per the company.
Skyryse has demonstrated helicopter pickups and touchdowns with the swipe of a finger, as well as automated engine-out helicopter landings. It has tested the system most extensively on the UH-60 Black Hawk but has also installed it on the Cirrus SR-22, with agreements for further integrations on models from Airbus, Bell, Pilatus, and others.
For helicopters, SkyOS does away with conventional cyclic, collective, and throttle controls in favor of a single control stick, pair of touchscreen displays, and fly-by-wire system. To install it, Skyryse removes the instrument panel, flight instruments, avionics, controls, and pedals. The company took more than 100 controls out of Robinson’s R66 to create the Skyryse One, which it plans to deliver to customers following certification.
The highly intuitive controls are designed to prevent common aviation accidents such as controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
Swiping up on a touchscreen initiates lift and brings the helicopter to a hover at about five feet. Pushing and holding a thumb lever on the joystick sets the climb rate. Pushing forward or back adjusts speed. Moving it side to side alters the bank angle, which is automatically limited by SkyOS. Twisting it rotates the airframe. Letting go makes the aircraft fly straight and level at its target airspeed.
SkyOS-enabled aircraft can be operated by two, one, or zero pilots, according to Skyryse. In the air, the system continuously monitors terrain, obstacles, and other aircraft, providing real-time safety alerts. It also provides fuel monitoring and dynamic envelope protection.
In March, Skyryse announced that SkyOS will enable one-tap autolanding not just for fixed-wing models but rotorcraft, for which the capability has never been offered. Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse, told FLYING that some people have piloted SkyOS-equipped helicopters after only 15 minutes of training.
“Defense agencies need autonomous aircraft that are reliable, affordable and available now, not years from now,” Groden said in a statement Tuesday. “Robinson gives us the production infrastructure to deliver at scale and at a cost point that meets real-world, time-critical needs.”
The military has shown significant interest in automating its air assets, from the CCA models to several projects to equip the Black Hawk helicopter with optionally piloted capabilities. The Pentagon requested $13.4 billion for autonomy and autonomous systems in its fiscal year 2026 budget.
Last year, the Air Force awarded a contract to Reliable Robotics through which it plans real-world deployments of a Cessna 208 equipped with the company’s autonomy platform. The branch is also working with Reliable competitors Merlin Labs and Joby Aviation, which in 2024 acquired Xwing’s Superpilot autonomy system.
Similarly, Skyryse has a contract with the U.S. Army to explore the addition of optionally piloted capabilities for its fleet of 2,400 Black Hawks. That gives it and Robinson an established relationship that the partners could leverage to get their Group 4 R66 into the hands of defense customers.
