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Piasecki Aircraft acquired Kaman's Kargo UAV program in April, planning to improve it with the Kargo II, which is set to fly in 2026. The Kargo II will have a compact multicopter airframe, a 1,000-lb. payload capacity, and greater range.

In 2025, Honeywell successfully completed an autonomous flight of the Leonardo AW139 for the U.S. Marine Corps' Aerial Logistics Connector program. Airbus and Shield AI also conducted an autonomous flight of the UH-72 under the same program in August.

Additionally, Near Earth Autonomy received a U.S. Army contract to retrofit a Sikorsky UH-60L for autonomous cargo operations, while Sikorsky introduced the uncrewed UH-60L variant, the UHawk.