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Aimed at the defence market, the R66 based UAS will be integrated with Skyryse’s SkyOS software to enable autonomous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), and air-launched effects (ALE) missions.

Announced on Jun. 24, 2026, the partnership between Skyryse and Robinson – both based in Southern California within 30 miles of each other – aims to link Robinson’s experience with large scale, time critical manufacturing to Skyryse’s emerging expertise in advanced flight automation software.

“Defense agencies need autonomous aircraft that are reliable, affordable and available now, not years from now,” said Skyryse Founder and CEO Mark Groden. “Robinson gives us the production infrastructure to deliver at scale and at a cost point that meets real-world, time-critical needs. This partnership accelerates our ability to put proven, SkyOS-powered autonomous aircraft into the hands of defense operators.”

Military trainer variant of the Robinson R66. | Source: Lockheed Martin

“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 Company. “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.”

The team-up will focus on the development of a rotary wing uncrewed aerial system (RWUAS) variant of the Robinson R66, a turbine powered development of the earlier piston powered, and incredibly popular, R44. Robinson has the theoretical capacity to produce 1,000+ aircraft per year – averaging around three per day – though the company has settled their regular operations at around 300 per year. The R66 usually represents around a third of this production figure. 

Though primarily targeted at the civilian market, the R66 has attracted interest from military customers. Most notably, the R66 is now used to train U.S. military pilots through the U.S. Navy’s Contractor Operated Pilot Training – Rotary (COPT-R) program, for which it was given the designation TH-66 Sage. The R66 has also been put forward as an option for the U.S. Army’s next helicopter trainer.

This will not be Skyryse’s only experience with the R66 platform. The company already offers its SkyOS avionics as a retrofit option for R66 customers. Skyryse calls the resulting product the Skyryse One. Unlike the base model R66, the Skyryse One features fly-by-wire controls (with triple redundancies). Skyryse says their system allows pilots of all skill levels to safely get behind the controls, claiming that Skyryse One is the ‘safest helicopter in aviation’.

Equally, Robinson’s UAS division – Robinson Unmanned – has already in 2026 announced a partnership with Sikorsky to produce a utility-focused RWUAS variant of the R66 called TURBINETRUCK. 

Unlike the Sikorsky offering of a cargo drone for civilian and military functions, Skyryse’s ambition appears to take aim at the growing market for RWUAS as an ISR and weapons/launched effects platform. In this regard, it would be closer to aircraft like the MQ-8 Fire Scout or Leonardo’s Proteus. 

Skyryse 

Aviation start-up Skyryse was founded in 2016, and has since secured partnerships with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), Mitsubishi Corporation, United Rotorcraft, and the U.S. Army. Over $605 million has been injected into the business by a variety of investors, including Bill Ford of Ford Motors, and the Qatar Investment Authority. 

California-based @skyryse said Thursday that it plans to introduce a universal emergency autoland capability for all aircraft—both fixed-wing and rotorcraft—that activates with a single tap on a touchscreen. https://t.co/iDUPoqrcwb pic.twitter.com/KpqSC5UOZg

— FLYING Magazine (@FlyingMagazine) March 6, 2026

Its SkyOS platform is designed to be adaptable for any aircraft type, including both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Aiming for increased safety, SkyOS features an automatic engine failure management system, air restart, and always-on flight envelope protections. Its automation capabilities include touchscreen controls for engine startup and automated take-off and landing.

A single flight control stick replaces the traditional joystick, cyclic, and rudder pedals of a helicopter – the system’s software is designed to interpret the pilot’s inputs and operate the aircraft accordingly. Of course, this means adaptation of a SkyOS-equipped aircraft into an uncrewed platform would be relatively simple, as all of the programming for physically controlling the aircraft is already in place.

ICYMI: We recently had @MarkGroden, CEO of @skyryse on Valley of Depth.

Skyryse is building a universal OS for aircraft to dramatically simplify flight, reduce pilot burden, and enable fully autonomous operations when needed.

The goal: turn helicopters and airplanes into… pic.twitter.com/XuzHZXIVtq

— Mo Islam (@itsmoislam) June 2, 2026

For military customers, although in many cases pilots will indicate a preference for more direct control of an aircraft and an ability to override computer systems where necessary, an advanced autopilot system like SkyOS would have powerful applications in reducing the workload of pilots in high intensity environments. A pilot who can rely upon the aircraft to keep itself flying safe is a pilot who can simultaneously operate and direct other systems, be they weapons, ISR sensors, or drones. 

Honored to host U.S. Army leaders at Skyryse for a firsthand look at SkyOS.

We had productive discussions about the role of aviation automation in increasing mission effectiveness, reliability, and operational flexibility across the modern battlefield.

The visit included an… pic.twitter.com/XWU1B2vLm9

— Skyryse (@skyryse) June 18, 2026

In 2025, Skyryse demonstrated the flight of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that had been configured with the SkyOS system. This will no doubt be a key part of any future collaboration with the aforementioned partners CalFire and the U.S. Army. 

SkyOS has also been integrated on a Robinson R44, which was trialed by law enforcement agencies. A Cirrus SR-22 became the first fixed wing SkyOS aircraft in October 2025. Plans are in place for future integration onto the Pilatus PC-12, as well as Bell 407, Airbus H-125, and H-130 helicopters.