No pilots, all cargo: Airbus tests loading of autonomous helicopter

Airbus U.S. Space and Defense has conducted its first demonstration as part of a program to build an autonomous, uncrewed version of the UH-72 Lakota transportation helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Lakota variant, which Airbus calls the UH-72 Logistics Connector, is the company’s bid for the Marines’ Aerial Logistics Connector program, senior manager for business development Carl Forsling said Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Washington.

Aerial Logistics Connector is one of several Defense Department programs aimed at improving how the military delivers logistical support to troops in distributed environments during a high-intensity conflict.

Airbus built a mockup of an uncrewed Lakota’s internal chassis, with all crew stations removed to make room for cargo throughout the body. Airbus tested it recently at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina to make sure standard Marine cargo containers and other specialized cargo could be loaded and unloaded from it, Forsling said, though the company declined to say exactly when the demonstration took place.

“Integrating warfighter inputs early on in this phase of the contract helps ensure we’re hitting all the marks and gives us invaluable insights so we deliver the right capabilities to the U.S. Marine Corps,” Rob Geckle, chairman and chief executive of Airbus U.S. Space and Defense.

Airbus aims to have the UH-72 helicopter fly autonomously, Forsling said, and is working with the Marine Corps and other firms to develop the necessary technology. If the Marine Corps or another customer decides they want a piloted version in the future, the design could be adapted to accommodate a human pilot, according to Forsling.

Without the need for a cockpit, this UH-72 would use the space behind its nose for more cargo storage, Forsling said. The nose may open up like a clamshell or swing open to one side on a hinge, he said, but Airbus has not yet decided on the exact configuration.

The ability to front-load cargo into the UH-72 will make it possible to carry larger containers or equipment that would not fit in a normal Lakota’s side doors, according to Forsling. It will also allow users to load cargo into the helicopter with a forklift, he said, and load missiles for transport.

The Marine Corps isn’t currently requiring the UH-72 to fire ordnance, Forsling said. However, the helicopter could be adapted using open systems architecture should the Corps or another future customer decide it needed strike capability, he said.

Demonstrations will continue through the first phase of the middle tier of the acquisition program, which ends in late 2025, Forsling said, and the Marine Corps will then decide whether to move forward with the program and with who. The service aims to have a flying prototype for the Aerial Logistics Connector program in 2028 or 2029 and make a production decision by the end of 2029.

Near Earth Autonomy, Leonardo and Honeywell are also working as a team on the Aerial Logistics Connector program.

Airbus is now in the design phase of this program and doing risk reduction work, focusing on the helicopter itself, Forsling said. As it moves toward the next phase, Airbus is laying the groundwork for autonomous flight, he said.

Forsling said it’s too soon to say how much the UH-72 might cost or whether it would be more or less expensive than the standard Lakota. He declined to comment on whether Airbus has spoken to other services or foreign countries about the UH-72B, but said it would be applicable across the joint environment and with allies.