US Marine Corps chooses KARGO for autonomous airborne logistics prototype
Kaman has designed KARGO to undertake expeditionary logistics missions for the USMC. (Image: Kaman)
Kaman is manufacturing a prototype full-size KARGO UAV for the USMC under the Medium Unmanned Logistics Systems – Air programme.
Kaman Air Vehicles announced on 10 October that it has been selected by the USMC to build a prototype UAS for logistics missions.
The UAS will be a ‘funded military version’ of the KARGO medium-lift UAV that can carry a payload of 800lb (363kg), Kaman explained in a company statement.
The USMC project is being managed by NAVAIR PMA-263 under the Medium Unmanned Logistics Systems – Air programme.
Once the prototype is constructed, KARGO will complete a field user capability assessment in an operationally relevant test environment.
Kaman began to develop KARGO in 2021, flying a reduced-scale aircraft in Q4 that year as a proof-of-concept demonstration.
‘A full-scale demonstrator is under construction, and the first flight is scheduled for later this year [2022],’ the company noted.
Near Earth Autonomy provides the autonomy system for KARGO and parallel testing is ongoing for the autonomy systems that will be employed on the USMC prototype.
‘We have been tracking the need for expeditionary logistics for some time,’ said Carroll Lane, president of Kaman Precision Products.
He added that Kaman will prioritise the development of KARGO for the USMC in the foreseeable future.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System (JTAARS) / Medium ULS-A [USMC]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
