Robinson Helicopter president and CEO David Smith unveiled Robinson Unmanned, the company’s new business unit that includes its Ascent drones and uncrewed versions of the R44 and R66 helicopters, yesterday at Verticon 2026. The unit’s president is Ascent AeroSystems president Paul Fermo.

“[Robinson Unmanned] could easily be bigger than all of our heritage businesses combined,” Smith said. There is a need for defense products at commercial costs, he added, “and built by a sustainable business, not a VC-backed money-losing business. We stand alone in that we are the only ones that can build incredibly [fast] at aerospace quality and automotive scale.”

Hélicoptères Guimbal is officially starting a helicopter family, confirming the development of the Cabri G5. Hélicoptères Guimbal president and CEO Bruno Guimbal remained coy about a timeline that “started years ago,” although he suggested, “I will be more than happy if it gets into service in four years in France.”

As the proposed “big brother” to its existing sibling, the multi-mission G5 aims to bridge a perceived gap in the market between the smaller Guimbal Cabri G2 and Airbus H125. The concept began “many years ago, and we have had time to refine the strategy,” offered Guimbal, who explained that customers have long called for a larger variant building upon the DNA of the existing “basic safe trainer.”

Operators of general aviation aircraft, which includes all civil helicopters, must get on board with ADS-B equipage to facilitate denser airspace that accommodates additional traffic, such as drones and eVTOLs, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said yesterday morning during a regulator fireside talk at Verticon 2026. The session, moderated by VAI president and CEO François Lassale, also featured remarks from EASA executive director Florian Guillermet.

“We’ll break some glass in the process [of ATC modernization], and some will feel like they’re being left out. That could be in the general aviation community, for example, and [incorporates] this idea of ADS-B electronic conspicuity,” Bedford said. “We need all aircraft to broadcast…to tighten up separation. We have to have a lot higher fidelity on where aircraft are. I don’t know why this is proving to be so difficult.”

SkyDrive and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) have concluded an agreement for the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft’s general certification plan. The agreement “describes the overall plan of activities required to demonstrate the aircraft’s compliance with legal requirements, including the processes and cooperative steps that will be required between JCAB and SkyDrive to achieve type certification,” according to the company. Plans call for entry into service in 2028, and SkyDrive is also working with the FAA on certification.

JCAB is reviewing SkyDrive’s other certification plans for structure, systems, electric motors, and noise as part of the six-step type certification process. So far, the certification basis has been issued, and 95% of the means of compliance are complete. That covers “the detailed design standards that indicate how SkyDrive will show compliance with the requirements established under the certification basis,” SkyDrive explained.

The global rotorcraft market is growing and remains strong, according to Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo’s helicopter division. This is true in both the civil and military domains, he added, and the industry is expected to see steady 2% to 3% growth over the next 10 years.

In its release of preliminary results for 2025, Leonardo highlighted higher-than-expected revenue and EBITA growth, with 5.1% more new orders compared to 2024. Deliveries totaled 182 new helicopters, down from 191 in 2024, in part due to the finalization of the U.S. Navy TH-73A contract. Revenues climbed 11.1%, and new orders reached €6.2 billion (about $7.3 billion).

The digital flip-through issue of AIN’s award-winning VAI Convention News is now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from Verticon 2026, whether you’re in Atlanta attending the show or watching from afar.