Robinson Helicopters has launched the R88, a new 10-seater, single-engine helicopter, with the stated goal of providing what the utility sector has long needed: a workhorse they can rely on. The helicopter was revealed during a special presentation on the eve of Verticon (formerly known as Heli-Expo), the aviation industry’s largest annual trade show. The R88 represents Robinson’s first new model in nearly 15 years. It’s also a landmark event for company president and CEO David Smith, who took over the reins of the Torrance, California-based manufacturer almost exactly a year ago.
Starting at a launch price of $3.3 million, the R88 is configured with two pilot seats, followed by two sets of four passenger seats. This layout showcases the cabin’s impressive 275-cubic-foot (7.8-cubic-meter) volume. The R88 is powered by the 1,000-shaft-horsepower Safran Arriel 2W engine. It boasts a maximum payload capacity of 1,800 pounds (815 kilograms) with full fuel and a range of 350 nautical miles (650 kilometers), with endurance above 3.5 hours. The R88’s launch presentation took place in advance of Verticon in Dallas, Texas.
Speaking to Vertical ahead of the unveiling, Smith explained that while the R88 is designed to meet a variety of needs, it has two primary target sectors, with utility being the first. “Utility is such a huge array of missions: lifting, carrying people, deploying equipment, materials, all those kinds of things,” he said. “There’s going to be a tremendous amount of opportunity for that.” He also highlighted the aircraft’s suitability for firefighting, citing its low acquisition and operational costs, along with ease of maintenance. “People who have gotten a rare opportunity to see [the R88] up close say it looks closer to a mini Huey than any other thing on the market,” Smith stated. “I think that that is the pickup truck that we aspire to, is something in that same kind of vein. That’s why we’re trying to really focus on more conventional materials, easily repaired materials in the field, such that you’re not going to ground a ship because you hit a log or you take off some rocks and damage the belly.”
The second target sector is the “mixed civil tourism/private” market, encompassing executives and private pilots who currently fly an R66 or a similar aircraft and are looking for more space or range. Air medical operations are also seen as a natural fit.
The concept of Robinson adapting the design of its successful R66 has been discussed within aviation circles for some time. The R88, however, is more than just a bigger R66. Its DNA is clearly Robinson, but the airframe has been updated with sleek sculpting, with subtle design adjustments that enhance functionality, usability, and overall aesthetics. For example, the iconic tall Robinson mast is still present, but is integrated more smoothly into the airframe. It’s still a prominent feature, but it does not look as dominant compared to the manufacturer’s other models. This is not simply an aesthetic decision. The R88’s engine is positioned differently compared to the R66 and R44 models. Those aircraft have a low engine placement within the airframe, while the R88’s engine is mounted higher, representing a more “conventional” placement for a helicopter.
The helicopter maintains Robinson’s standard two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor, but scaled up in size to accommodate the power and size provided by the Arriel engine. The blades have a 50 percent larger chord than those of the R66 and are “quite a bit” longer, Smith noted. “We’ll spend a bit of time in testing on variations in the tip shapes so that we can get the lowest noise profile that we can get,” he said. “With the way the aircraft is shaping up, I think it will be very competitive in the noise space against most of the products in the space.” The tail boom resembles those of other Robinson models but is positioned higher on the airframe. When equipped with high skids, as it was during its Dallas unveiling, the boom is high enough for most people to walk underneath. This will be especially practical for loading from the rear of the cabin.
Inside, the cockpit reflects modern aircraft design, featuring a fully glass panel with dual conventional cyclic controls instead of Robinson’s traditional “T” bar cyclic controls used in other models. Switching to a conventional cyclic was a functional decision related to the aircraft’s larger width.
“We couldn’t get the teetering cyclic to work — it’s too large of a movement,” Smith said. “So we ended up with dual cyclics, which people will consider to be conventional. I would argue that our original cyclics are conventional, but the reality is, we’re an engineering-driven company, and the engineering drove us to the right solution for this aircraft.”
The R88 incorporates a Garmin avionics suite, including large G500H TXi displays and GTN navigators with touchscreen controls. The decision not to develop an integrated glass solution was very conscious, driven by Smith’s concern that an integrated system could complicate servicing. “We think you’ll have support advantages, feature advantages, just cost and ease of operation advantages, rather than having this sort of constraint running through kind of OEM engagements,” he said.
The R88 will include a four-axis autopilot as standard, along with data recording with datalink and a health and usage monitoring system (HUMS). Additional safety features consist of an inlet barrier filter and impact-resistant windshields that meet part 29 transport helicopter standards. It will also be type-certified for optional single-pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) operation.
The aircraft will be offered with either standard or high skids, with the latter improving ground clearance and compatibility with a firefighting water tank. Optional equipment will include a 3,000-pound human external cargo (HEC)-rated cargo hook, a utility basket, a wire strike protection kit, and pop-out floats.
Looking Inside
It’s clear that the cabin interior of the R88 offers a significantly different experience compared to existing Robinson models. The spacious cabin volume puts it in the same category as a light twin aircraft such as a Bell 429 or Airbus H135, and Smith described it as being “in a class of its own.”
The cabin provides three points of entry. Sliding doors, a new feature for a Robinson helicopter, are situated on both sides, complemented by a fold-down door at the back of the cabin offering access from the rear.
“We wanted something that has a utility of a pickup truck, and so you can fold down the door and easily access that [for] simple loading,” Smith said.
At the heart of the R88’s design, the partnership with Safran marks a first for Robinson.
“The big picture is they have a phenomenal powerplant that really is the market leader in this space,” said Smith. “There were other candidate engines out there that would require substantial redesign, substantial changes in kind of what the powerplant was designed for, making those programs higher risk [in terms of certification effort].”
Robinson also wanted to launch the R88 with a ‘disruptive’ aspect in terms of engine support, and Safran was receptive to this. The companies are introducing the “Serenity” package, which will be included with every R88 purchase. It includes an unscheduled removals coverage for five years or 2,000 flight hours, along with premium health monitoring and advanced digital services.
“We believe everybody should have top notch service, guaranteed turnaround times and coverage for some of the unexpected events that happen,” Smith said. “So we said, ‘We’re going to put our money where our mouth is, and we’re going to put that into the price of the engine and the price of the aircraft.’ . . . Every customer of an R88 will have that feel and connection and the guarantees and security around engine performance and turnaround that you would want.”
Smith explained that making the R88 a single-engine aircraft, as opposed to a light twin, was driven by both cost and safety concerns.
“We have really good data in Europe, where they’ve been very sensitive to single and twin [engine] regulations and performance,” he said. “The data supports that singles are safer and have less severe consequences from a powerplant outage than a twin.”
He noted that pilots of twin-engine aircraft are sometimes less prepared for engine failure than those flying single-engine models.
“The data supports single engine reliability as well,” he added. “The 66 this last year hit two million flight hours with no accidents, no engine failure, no loss of power incidents, no in-flight shutdowns. And so I think that that shows you what’s possible with a modern, well-architected turbine engine system.”
Smith also said that having a single engine reduces the number of components needed for powerplants, lessening the risk associated with supply chain issues.
Opening New Markets
The origins of the R88 trace back to Kurt Robinson, Smith’s predecessor as CEO of Robinson, and Pete Riedl, Robinson’s long-time VP of engineering.
“They wanted to do this product for a long time, but part of the necessary ingredients in their mind to really start this project was finding Pete’s successor and Kurt’s successor so they could lead this from the beginning through to the production and delivery,” said Smith.
Plans for the R88 were discussed during Smith’s interviews for the position of CEO and also during the hiring process for Sean Doyle, who was chosen to replace Riedl as VP of engineering in 2023. Smith and Doyle began working at Robinson within weeks of each other, and they promptly started the process of developing the R88.
“We laid out a process that we wanted to engage the voices out in the industry that currently fly the class leaders, and effectively all the part 27 helicopters,” said Smith. This included operators in a wide variety of sectors, including those currently operating light twin-engine aircraft, from air medical to tourism and utility work. Robinson aimed to understand their requirements and what they hoped to see in a future aircraft.
“Not a lot of new aircraft are getting started, so there’s a lot of folks there that never been asked those questions,” said Smith.
In response, the company heard concerns about the increasingly high and unpredictable operational and acquisition costs of aircraft. They also addressed challenges in service interruptions due to parts shortages, the need for operational simplicity combined with ease of maintenance, and the opportunity presented by a generation of executives who had been trained on R22 aircraft before transitioning to models produced by other manufacturers.
The R88’s structure will incorporate “lots of steel, lots of aluminum,” said Smith, with “very little” titanium and carbon fiber to allow for straightforward in-field repairs in rugged environments. Smith noted that Robinson’s high-level production capabilities will give the company a major advantage in keeping the parts supply open.
“Part of our pitch here is that vertical integration is the solution,” Smith said. “We don’t have the same delays [as other manufacturers experience].”
With the requirements finalized, Robinson built up the program team. “Over the last 24 months, we’ve spent a ton of time finding the best engineers that we can to put on these projects from all kinds of different industries — and have progressed really quickly,” said Smith.
Currently, about 60 people are working on the R88 on the engineering side. Smith said that now that the team has completed “major regulatory events,” selected major partners for the avionics and engine, and made “significant progress” on building initial components, it was time to introduce the R88 to the world.
Certification Plans
Robinson is aiming for the first flight of the R88 by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, “depending on part availability and some of our vendors,” he said. The company has ongoing discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding certification and hopes to achieve this landmark 2.5 to three years after the first flight. This would take it to 2028 or 2029.
Next, the company plans to target approvals in Europe and Brazil, with deliveries scheduled to start shortly after certification. “We’re going to be building up units in advance of certification,” Smith said. “As a large volume production house, part of our recipe is getting things in high volume as quickly as possible.”
Robinson plans to produce the R88 within its existing Torrance facility and has already started clearing space for its production. Being a vertically-integrated facility may require the company to rethink or adjust elements for producing some components to achieve high-rate production. However, Smith believes the facility can manufacture 100–200 R88s each year and also accommodate “significant growth” on the R66 and R44 models.
As “only a couple” of customers had seen the R88 prior to its unveiling before Verticon, Smith stated that he was excited to see the industry’s response in Dallas. He believes that the aircraft’s economics and competitive potential will win over any Robinson sceptics.
“It’s so difficult to compete with, from the pure math of running cost, acquisition cost and performance — the dollar per pound lifted is going to be incredible value,” he said.
Meanwhile, those already devoted to the company have given their full endorsement.
“They love it,” he said. “They love everything down to the styling of it, which we spent a lot more time focusing on — thoughtful style, thoughtful integration of the cockpit so that people want to fly it. I think people will be taken aback by how much we put into making it a beautiful aircraft, a comfortable aircraft, but still one that has the best empty weight fraction in the class, and one that’s going to produce superior returns for them.”
The company will begin accepting deposits for the model from Authorized Robinson Helicopter Dealers on March 11 at Verticon.
