Robinson Unmanned’s R44 Airtruck completed offshore cargo demonstration flights at Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia, Louisiana, on 2 and 3 September, with repeated approaches to a platform configured to simulate an offshore deck. The unmanned, remotely piloted helicopter was used to show cargo loading and unloading, elevated deck landings, precision positioning and airspace integration for offshore work.
Aviation Academy of Louisiana conducted the flights, with PHI Aviation and invited industry and government observers in attendance. The aircraft operated with a two-person crew model comprising one remote pilot and one ground-based visual observer.
The demonstration fits Robinson’s effort to position the Airtruck as a heavy-lift unmanned platform for logistics, resupply and industrial transport. The company describes the aircraft as having a 1,002-pound useful load, 63 cubic feet of internal payload volume, a cruise speed of 109 knots and a maximum operating altitude of 14,000 feet. It is flying in the U.S. experimental category and has commercial approval in Brazil.
No customer, contract or operational launch date was disclosed, leaving the Louisiana flights as a capability demonstration rather than a committed offshore deployment.