Elroy Air presents its pre-production Chaparral VTOL aerial cargo system and confirms deal with Mesa Airlines for up to 100 aircraft
Elroy Air has unveiled its pre-production Chaparral aircraft, the first end-to-end autonomous vertical take-off and landing aerial cargo system.
The Chaparral can autonomously pick up 300–500 lbs of cargo and deliver it by air up to 300 miles, a capability that pushes beyond the limited payload capabilities of delivery drones and the airport infrastructure required of piloted air cargo options available today.
An early prototype was flown in 2019, demonstrating several key systems of the aircraft design. The Chaparral system features eight vertical lift fans, four distributed electric propulsors for forward flight, a high-wing airframe configuration, as well as improved ground autonomy and cargo-handling systems.
It is a transitioning “lift + cruise” VTOL aircraft with a full carbon composite airframe, and a turbine-based hybrid-electric powertrain for long-range mission capabilities. It was also designed to fit in a 40’ shipping container or C‑130 cargo aircraft, enabling it to be quickly shipped and deployed anywhere in the world.
Elroy Air Co-founder and CEO David Merrill, said: “Today, we are proud to unveil the Chaparral, a first-of-kind autonomous air cargo system that builds on the more than 100 years of American aviation and aircraft development history. The Chaparral is an important part of the future of express logistics.
“It is built for full end-to-end automation, and it will safely and efficiently make express shipping possible in thousands of new places. It’s a delivery drone that’s faster than ground transport and lower cost than today’s traditional aircraft.”
Elroy Air was awarded a Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) Award from the United States Air Force in Q4 2021 amounting to a further $1.7 million in contract value alongside its existing Phase 3 SBIR contract.
The funding will be used to further develop deployment details and CONOPS in collaboration with its Air Force and Agility Prime partners. It reflects sustained enthusiasm by the Air Force and AFWERX to help accelerate the Chaparral to readiness for usage by the organisation.
Colonel Nathan Diller, Director of AFWERX, said: “Agility Prime sees value in electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles as well as hybridization that captures the benefits of electric along with the opportunity for greater range.
“The Air Force has also actively explored different approaches to modularity, different payloads and ultimately a way to reduce the number of humans necessary for logistical touch points. It is exciting to work with partners who are passionate about building this new era of aerospace.”
Elroy Air has already secured agreements for more than 500 aircraft from commercial, defence and humanitarian customers — amounting to more than $1 billion.
Mesa Airlines, an American regional airline operating large fleets on behalf of partners including American Airlines, United Airlines, and DHL, has an intent to order 150 aircraft to serve the express parcel and healthcare sectors.
Whiile AYR Logistics, an aircraft owner and operator with over 20 years of experience providing logistics support to the humanitarian community in over 45 countries, including the United Nations, World Food Programme (WFP), Governments and NGOs, also signed an agreement with Elroy Air to purchase up to 100 Chaparral aircraft.
Jonathan Ornstein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mesa Airlines, said: “We’ve always been at the forefront of aviation technology and we’re proud to be at the cutting-edge of this next chapter in partnership with Elroy Air.
“We are increasingly seeing the demand for same and next-day delivery, but so many rural communities have been cut off from the national transportation system. Pilot shortages and environmental regulations make this even more challenging. With the Chaparral, we’re excited to be able to provide autonomous cargo delivery to help reconnect those communities.”
Stephen Lyons, Chief Development Officer of AYR Logistics, added: “What aid agencies spend on transportation is money that they’re not spending on food, medicine and other emergency supplies, but transportation is obviously very important to get the aid to where it needs to be.
“There simply hasn’t been a UAV with the type of capabilities that the Chaparral has in the commercial markets. The Chaparral is a quantum leap in terms of load carrying and range as well as being able to operate with minimal infrastructure.”
Elroy Air has also developed lightweight, aerodynamic modular cargo pods that can be pre-loaded by ground personnel and picked up by the aircraft before takeoff.
At the delivery location, the cargo pod is lowered to the ground and released after the system has landed. The Chaparral system can retrieve another pre-packed pod and transport the pod to its next destination, creating a bi-directional conveyor belt through the sky.