Role & capabilities
- Vertical take-off and landing
- Modular observation
- Naval-aircraft development
- Primary domain
- Air
- System type
- Multirole aircraft
- Developer / manufacturer
- Cicaré / Marinelli / INVAP
- Origin / production countries
- Argentina
- Other names
- No additional names recorded
- Variants / configurations
- Original 2020 configuration; MET 2 / MET 2.5 naval development
- Operators / programme customers
- Argentine Navy (training and trials)
Evidence & current status
Defence relevance is documented; naval acceptance is not inferred from training or the civilian exhibition.
RUAS-160 is an Argentine uncrewed helicopter developed by Cicaré, Marinelli and INVAP. Its 2020 civilian presentation described a coaxial-rotor aircraft with piston-engine options and interchangeable equipment. That initial agricultural context alone would not establish defence use.
Argentina's 2023 defence white paper supplies the military link: naval configuration work, flight trials and operator training, including changes between MET 2 and 2.5 standards. This supports a development-and-trials record, while final ship integration and service acceptance need further evidence.
The original presentation's approximately 80 kg useful load includes fuel and sensors together. It is not 80 kg of additional sensor capacity. The original sub-150 kg take-off description likewise cannot automatically be applied to later naval versions. Retaining these distinctions allows future technical and acceptance updates to be attached to the right aircraft standard.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | Coaxial-rotor helicopter | Published baseline; load and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Launch / recovery | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Propulsion | Piston-engine configurations | Published baseline; load and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Dimensions | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Mass | Below 150 kg take-off weight | 2020 presentation; later naval standards may differ. Source |
| Endurance | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Range | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Speed | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Altitude | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Payload | Approximately 80 kg combined fuel-and-sensor allowance | Not spare sensor payload. Source |
| Sensors | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Communications / navigation | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
Publication history
- — Published reference update.
Suggest a correction to this entry
Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.
- INVAP RUAS-160 introduction, 12 March 2020 (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer / programme
- Argentina Defence White Paper 2023 (opens in a new tab)Government / operator