Elroy Air has announced that Bristow Group has expanded its early delivery reservations for the Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft, reserving 10 additional early delivery positions for a total of 15. Bristow previously secured early delivery slots for five Chaparral drones and announced a pre-order agreement for up to 100 Chaparral drones.
This announcement follows the first autonomous, uncrewed flight demonstrations conducted in Houma, Louisiana, as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), in collaboration with government and industry partners, said Elroy Air in a press release.
Elroy Air’s Chaparral is an uncrewed, autonomous VTOL aircraft that carries 500+ pounds of cargo and requires no runways, airstrips, or other fixed infrastructure to operate. Its hybrid-electric powertrain delivers the reliability of electric propulsion with extended range of up to 450 miles, and requires no charging infrastructure, further reducing the logistics footprint needed to sustain operations, says the company. Multi-mission pods allow rapid reconfiguration across payload types for multi-mission capabilities.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, the exclusive U.S. manufacturer of Chaparral, will produce the aircraft at its expanding Sacramento, California facility, with the first production aircraft planned for late 2026.
For more information
https://elroyair.com/company/news/press-releases/bristow-reservation-10-additional-early-delivery-positions-for-chaparral/
(Image: Elroy Air)