PteroDynamics wins contract to deliver VTOL aircraft to US Navy.

According to a press release published by PteroDynamics on August 23, 2021, an aircraft design and manufacturing company that develops innovative vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, is announcing it has secured a contract with Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to deliver 3 VTOL prototypes for the Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) program.
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Vertical Take-Off and Landing VTOL aircraft (Picture source: PteroDynamics)

In 2018, Military Sealift Command and Fleet Forces Command identified a need for the United States Navy to develop a capability to autonomously deliver cargo with an unmanned aerial system (UAS) to and from ships at sea. Their analysis found that 90% of critical repair cargo delivered at sea by helicopters and V-22 aircraft weighed less than 50 pounds. A VTOL UAS can fill this critical need and free the manned aircraft to perform other higher priority missions.

Transwing aircraft fold their wings during flight to transition between rotorcraft and fixed-wing configurations. Transwing aircraft also have substantially better controllability in takeoff, landing, and hover flight and typically have 1/3 or less of the ground footprint of other aircraft with the same wingspan. This permits operations in more compact touchdown and liftoff areas and windier conditions.

The aircraft is able to significantly reduce its size for taking off and landing by transforming into a nimble and stable multirotor configuration. The transitions between multirotor and fixed-wing configurations are smooth and robust, and the articulation mechanism requires only a small fraction of the aircraft weight. Very little structural and aerodynamic penalties result in flight efficiencies approaching that of a fixed-wing aircraft.