From KMAX to KARGO: Army, Marines test out new support drone - Breaking Defense

Amateurs talk killer robots, but professional talk logistics drones. As the Army and Marine Corps explore new ways to keep frontline forces stocked amidst rising threats to conventional supply lines, both services have independently decided to try out a new unmanned small helicopter called KARGO.

The Army announced its choice of KARGO just last week for a Heavy-Lift Vertical Take Off & Landing (HVTOL) drone capable of carrying supplies to troops in combat, the wounded to safety, or specialized sensor packages to perform reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and other roles. (The service reserved the right to pick a second company for the demonstration, but there’s not been any announcement of one so far). Meanwhile, the Marines had already picked KARGO last year as a candidate for the Medium variant of their Unmanned Logistics Systems — Air (MULS-A), along with a rival drone from Leidos.

KARGO is built by aerospace company Kaman and partner Near Earth Autonomy, which flew a half-sized version back in 2021 and now have two full-sized aircraft already ready to go, with one about to finish pre-flight checks, the company said.