WashingtonTextron replaced the cockpit with a cargo bay.
The uncrewed variant inherits an existing type certificate, skipping years of airworthiness testing.
SkyCourier UX keeps the same 6,000-pound payload and 900-mile range as the crewed Cessna 408 it modifies.
Textron is pitching it to the Pentagon for contested-logistics missions against China’s own uncrewed cargo push.
How each outlet framed it
- The War Zone
- replaces cockpit with hydraulic cargo bay for outsized loading without specialized equipment; maintains 6,000-lb payload of crewed version
Sources: The War Zone