Piasecki acquires Kaman’s cargo UAV programme
Piasecki Aircraft Corporation is set to acquire Kaman Air Vehicles’ Kargo UAV programme, growing its portfolio of vertical lift and cargo UAS solutions to eight projects.
Kaman’s Kargo UAV is a medium-lift, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle that has undergone autonomous flight testing with the US Marine Corps and US Army. Designed for operations in contested and remote environments, the UAV has also completed a series of initial military contracts, whilst also offering significant dual-use potential, according to Piasecki.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Ross Sealfon, president and CEO of Kaman Corporation called the sale a strategic decision to ensure that Kaman’s UAV technology finds a home.
Piasecki confirmed that Kaman’s programme leaders will continue their development work. The company will also acquire all intellectual property and assets associated with the programme and will relocate all R&D and operational activities to Piasecki’s Heliplex facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Piasecki said production is set to commence in around 18 months, capital permitting.
Speaking to us, John Piasecki, president and CEO, Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, said: “We have identified autonomous logistics as a strategic market and there is a broad range of needs that run across various scales and types of aircraft. The Kama Kargo platform fits in a good niche within our family of systems.”
The Kargo UAV is built for what is known as agile logistics. For the military this means combat zones, while in the commercial world it is known as hotshot missions, carrying essential, small payload cargo. Engineered for versatility, Kargo has a compact footprint, enabling transport via shipping container.
“The aircraft has some very unique attributes from a logistics point of view. It is designed to be able to rapidly be deployed from and stored in a standard ISO container. That has a lot of advantages for conducting operations in austere environments,” said Piasecki
“It is not just logistics. It is capable of a whole slew of important missions, including CASEVAC [casualty evacuation] and other combat support functions that are frankly better done without putting air crew at risk in a distributed operating environment.”
Kargo UAV makes use of advanced flight controls for autonomous operation. According to Piasecki, an agreement with Near Earth Autonomy is also part of the deal, and the draw of continuing work with the Pennsylvania-based autonomy specialist was as an attractive proposition.
“We’ve been working with Near Earth Autonomy since they were within Carnegie Mellon University. We did the world’s first fully autonomous man-rated helicopter demonstration back in 2010 with the key people that are part of that company. So it’s a great opportunity to continue that collaboration and implement autonomous functionality on these platforms, which is a key part of their economic and operational value proposition.”
The aircraft recently demonstrated autonomous cargo lift for the US Army and completed fully autonomous flight testing using Near Earth Autonomy’s Peregrine system. It also has an initial $12m award from the US Marine Corps Marine Corps Autonomous Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics Program (MARV-EL). Assets also include two full-scale prototypes.
“Kaman received valuable feedback from both the US Marine Corps and US Army during the demonstration and evaluation phases,” said Piasecki. “Their input has been instrumental in shaping Kargo UAV’s design evolution, particularly around operational flexibility, autonomous flight performance and expeditionary logistics support.”
In 2023 Kaman announced a partnership with PHI Aviation to develop the platform commercially, such as hotshot operations for oil-and-gas customers. The deal included a non-binding order for 50 Kargo aircraft.
In terms of commercial certification, Piasecki said: “We are actively progressing our commercial certification strategy. Our focus is on aligning with FAA regulatory pathways for autonomous, beyond-visual-line-of-sight [BVLOS] cargo operations, and we’re working closely with advisors and industry partners to ensure we can meet both military and civilian airworthiness standards as the program matures.”
Piasecki will be exhibiting at the 2025 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit (AAAA) in Nashville, May 14th-16th. Booth #2010.
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