Autonomous Medium-Lift Cargo UAV Joins Piasecki VTOL Cargo UAS Systems Portfolio
COATESVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA / ACCESS Newswire / April 29, 2025 / Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, a pioneer in vertical flight, announced today the acquisition of Kaman Air Vehicles' KARGO UAV program, expanding its portfolio of vertical lift and cargo UAS solutions. KARGO UAV is a medium-lift, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle that has been demonstrated to both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army for its cargo VTOL capabilities, with successful autonomous lift and flight testing under military evaluation programs. Designed for operations in contested and remote environments, KARGO UAV has completed initial military contracts and is poised to disrupt both defense and commercial cargo transport.
KARGO UAV is a dual-use system built for agile logistics-whether in combat zones or remote commercial operations. Engineered for versatility, it features a compact footprint, allowing for easy transport and rapid deployment in austere environments. KARGO UAV is optimized for autonomous operations, utilizing advanced flight controls and modular payload integration. The system is designed to meet the needs of the Department of Defense and commercial customers that demand affordable and reliable logistics support. Its robust construction, adaptability, and small logistical footprint position it as a key solution for augmenting efficiency in remote and tactical settings.
KARGO UAV recently demonstrated autonomous cargo lift for the U.S. Army and completed fully autonomous flight testing using Near Earth Autonomy's Peregrine system. With an initial $12 million award from the U.S. Marine Corps Marine Corps Autonomous Resupply Vehicle - Expeditionary Logistics Program (MARV-EL), two full-scale prototypes, and demand projected to exceed 300 aircraft, Piasecki aims to accelerate development testing, towards a production variant to meet growing demand from both military and commercial customers.
The addition of Kaman's advanced UAV technology aligns seamlessly with Piasecki's existing rotorcraft portfolio, enhancing its ability to deliver cutting-edge cargo transport solutions to both military and commercial sectors. Piasecki will acquire all intellectual property and assets associated with the program and will relocate all R&D and operational activities to Piasecki's state-of-the-art Heliplex facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
"This acquisition is a perfect fit for Piasecki's long-term vision for a family of autonomous VTOL UAS solutions to address a diverse range of customer mission requirements in both government and commercial markets," said John Piasecki, CEO of Piasecki Aircraft Corporation. "Kaman's KARGO UAV program has already achieved significant milestones. With our VTOL expertise, world-class Heliplex, and deep industry partnerships, we are positioned to accelerate KARGO's transition from prototype to production. Piasecki has adopted a family of systems approach to the cargo UAS market that offers greater scalability and adaptability than single-platform strategies."
"This was a strategic decision to ensure that Kaman's impressive UAV technology finds a home where it can thrive," said Ross Sealfon, President and CEO of Kaman Corporation. "Piasecki's reputation for innovation and commercialization in vertical flight solutions makes them the ideal company to take KARGO UAV to market."
Piasecki will be exhibiting at the 2025 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit (AAAA) in Nashville, May 14-16. Attendees are invited to visit Booth #2010 to explore the KARGO UAV and Piasecki's growing portfolio of advanced vertical lift and autonomous cargo solutions.
About Piasecki Aircraft Corporation
For more than 80 years, Piasecki has been a leader in vertical lift aircraft. It specializes in the design, fabrication, and flight testing of experimental rotorcraft and unmanned air vehicles and has developed and flown more than 25 advanced VTOL and UAV aircraft to date. Customers include the U.S. Air Force Research Lab and AFWERX; the U.S. Army Futures Command, Aviation and Missile Center, and Medical R&D Command; NAVAIR; DARPA; and SOCOM; as well as leading OEMs such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Piasecki is a recipient of numerous awards including the Presidential National Medal of Technology, Smithsonian Air & Space Achievement Award, and the prestigious Tibbitts Award for small business innovation from the U.S. Department of Defense. Piasecki has been a proud member of the Vertical Flight Society for more than 50 years. For more information, please visit piasecki.com and follow Piasecki on LinkedIn.
Contact Information
Aaron Endré
piasecki@endrecommunications.com
SOURCE: Piasecki Aircraft Corporation
