The U.S.-based Kaman has announced that the flight tests of its KARGO medium-lift UAV without tethering have begun.
Kaman General Manager Romin Dasmalchi has told Janes that the UAV has been in flight testing since December 2023, but with tethering on the ground for safety. After some testing, KARGO UAV started free flights in 2024.
KARGO is a quad-copter medium-lift UAV capable of carrying up to 400 kg payloads. Unlike most electrically-powered quad-copter designs, the UAV is powered by an RR300 turboshaft engine. Due to the current battery technology, electrically-driven cargo aircraft have a limited range, whereas KARGO can carry a 300 kg payload to 265 km.
Kaman is known for its compact cargo-oriented helicopters like the double-rotor K-MAX and SH-2G. The company aims to enter the emerging cargo UAV market with the turboshaft-powered quad-copter KARGO UAV.
-- Works for cargo UAVs are also ongoing in the EU, Turkiye, and, recently, the UAE. In the EU, Airbus is developing a design for payloads of 250 kg; Turkiye’s DASAL has developed various UAVs for payloads ranging from 15 to 150 kg, and TİTRA’s ALPİN unmanned rotorcraft is actively used . UAE entered the field with EDGE acquiring ANAVIA, which developed the HT-100 UAV for payloads of 60 kg.
