New Quadcopter Drone ‘Kargo’ in Development, Hopes to Supply Marines – Breaking Defense Breaking Defense

Kaman’s new “Kargo” drone hopes to provide US Marines with a medium-size supply capability. (Credit: Kaman Corp.)

WASHINGTON: Kaman Corp. this week unveiled its design for a new unmanned quadcopter, dubbed Kargo, aimed at giving the Marine Corps a medium cargo lift capability for the service’s Expeditionary Advanced Basing Operations concept.

The drone, which the company says will be able to carry around 800 pounds and travel more than 500 nautical miles one way, has been in development for the past six months. Kaman executives told a group of reporters today they have been operating a 50% scale model for testing purposes and plan to build and demonstrate a representative aircraft by the end of next year.

The new drone is geared toward a Marines program called unmanned logistics systems — airborne, which will develop a family of logistics aircraft in small, medium and large sizes. Kaman’s new vehicle fits in the medium-size aircraft category, or group 3. (The military…