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FedEx Express and California-based autonomous VTOL cargo system developer Elroy Air have reached an agreement under which the package delivery giant would test Elroy Air’s Chaparral autonomous air cargo system within its middle-mile logistics operations, moving shipments between sortation locations, the companies said Tuesday.
FedEx and Elroy Air have worked together since January 2020 and plan to continue their collaboration to pursue the start of flight testing in 2023.
“FedEx was built on innovation and we are always looking toward new technologies to help enhance the logistics industry through improved safety, efficiency, and customer service,” said&nbsp;FedEx Express vice president of global planning, engineering, and technology Joe Stephens. “We look forward to continued testing and learning throughout our collaboration with Elroy Air.”
Elroy Air unveiled what it described as a preproduction version of its Chaparral C1 VTOL cargo transporter in January. The eVTOL aerial cargo system can autonomously pick up 300 to 500 pounds of cargo and deliver it by air to a range of 300 miles without the need for additional infrastructure such as airports or charging stations.
“We are proud to work with FedEx to build the next generation of express logistics,” said Elroy Air vice president of business development and strategy Kofi Asante. “When you’re not limited by challenging infrastructure, traffic, or airports, logistics can reach more people, faster than ever before. We look forward to working together to create a new future for how we get goods to people around the world.”
The Chaparral features eight vertical lift fans, four distributed electric propulsors for cruise flight, 11 aero-surface actuators, and a high wing. Other key features include a high-voltage power distribution system designed for fault isolation, a redundant 700-volt lithium battery pack sized to handle generator failure, an onboard detect-and-avoid system, a command-and-control data link, Lidar systems for ground safety and navigation, and an ADS-B in/out transceiver.
A 150-kW gas turbine-based electrical power-generation system will provide electrical power for propulsion and recharge the onboard battery during flight, eliminating recharging downtime.
For loading and unloading, Elroy Air designed a proprietary cargo container and automated cargo-handling system. The modular cargo pod consists of a pallet and an aero-fairing cover. Freight is stacked on the pallet and strapped down before the cover is slid over and attached for flight. Operators can move the pod with a standard pallet jack and forklift, and the aircraft features robotic winching and latching for rapid loading and unloading.
Once the cargo pod is locked and loaded, the automated cargo-handling system comes into play. “As soon as the aircraft lands vertically, it is assigned a place to unload the inbound cargo, where it lowers and releases the pod,” explained Elroy Air co-founder and CEO David Merrill
Merrill during the Vertical Flight Society’s Transformative Vertical Flight conference in San Jose, California, in late January. “Then, based on its next assignment, the Chaparral automatically taxis to and aligns with the new container, picks it up, and secures it for the mission before taxiing to takeoff.”

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

FedEx To Test Autonomous Drone Cargo Delivery with Elroy Air

Elroy Air’s recent official launch of its autonomous Chaparral C1 VTOL cargo transporter gave the advanced air mobility sector its most comprehensive impression yet of what the U.S. start-up plans to bring to market. Speaking during the Vertical Flight Society’s Transformative Vertical Flight conference in San Jose, California, in late January, co-founder and CEO David Merrill predicted that hybrid-electric aircraft have&nbsp;the potential to bring express freight delivery services to parts of the globe that currently lack&nbsp;this convenience. 
“Because the Chaparral takes off and lands vertically, it can serve exponentially more destinations than traditional air cargo,” he claimed. “It’s also faster than ground transportation and has lower operating costs, not to mention better fuel efficiency, than today’s manned aircraft.”
According to Elroy Air, the Chaparral will allow logistics providers to significantly reduce—if not completely eliminate—their dependency on airports. “With this aircraft, you can fly goods from warehouse to warehouse, airport to warehouse, or warehouse to business customers,” Merrill said. “By creating a much wider set of cargo routes for middle-mile logistics, we can expand the reach of express shipping, enabling same-day and next-day deliveries everywhere.” 
The design features eight vertical lift fans, four distributed electric propulsors for cruise flight, 11 aero-surface actuators, and a high wing. The vehicle is expected to be able to carry between 300 and 500 pounds of cargo on sectors of up to around 300 miles.
It’s this range that is of particular importance for the Chaparral. “One key difference between air taxis and logistics-focused VTOL aircraft is range,” Merrill maintained. “A pure battery system doesn’t give us the longer range, which is why we opted to develop a hybrid-electric powertrain instead.”
Other key features include a high-voltage power distribution system designed for fault isolation, a redundant 700-volt lithium battery pack sized to handle generator failure, an onboard detect-and-avoid system, a command-and-control data link, Lidar systems for ground safety and navigation, and an ADS-B in/out transceiver.
A 150-kW gas turbine-based electrical power-generation system will&nbsp;provide electrical power for propulsion and recharge the onboard battery during flight,&nbsp;eliminating recharging downtime. “This aircraft was designed for very high utilization, with lots of flight hours per day,” said Merrill. “That means reducing downtime for recharging or loading and unloading.”
For the latter, Elroy Air designed a proprietary cargo container and automated cargo-handling system. The modular cargo pod consists of a pallet and an aero-fairing cover. The freight is stacked on the pallet and strapped down before the cover is slid over and attached for flight. The pod can be moved by a standard pallet jack and forklift, and the aircraft features robotic winching and latching for rapid loading and unloading.
Once the cargo pod is locked and loaded, the automated cargo-handling system comes into play. “As soon as the aircraft lands vertically, it is assigned a place to unload the inbound cargo, where it lowers and releases the pod,” explained Merrill. “Then, based on its next assignment, the Chaparral automatically taxis to and aligns with the new container, picks it up and secures it for the mission before taxiing to takeoff.”
The handling system, which uses an ultra-wide beacon-based triangulation system for localizing pods, was inspired by the drop freight shipping concept. “Using a separate cargo container and vehicle enables a very high utilization of the vehicle assets and the driver’s time,” added Merrill. “But unlike a truck, the Chaparral can go directly to the loading docks, resulting in even faster turnaround times.”
Having already secured provisional sales agreements for 500 aircraft, Elroy is confident that an immediate path to market exists for its Chaparral. “This is a really exciting moment for Elroy Air, and I believe our Chaparral cargo VTOL is well-positioned to change aviation—and logistics—for the better,” Merrill concluded.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
The California-based company expects flights to begin with commercial customers in 2023.
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Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Elroy Air Makes the Case for Chaparral's Transformation of Air Cargo Services

Elroy Air today unveiled what it described as a preproduction version of its Chaparral C1 VTOL cargo transporter. The company says the hybrid-electric autonomous aircraft will offer the express freight delivery industry significantly greater capability than existing smaller drones, by carrying loads of between 300 and 500 pounds over distances of up to 300 miles.
In its announcement, Elroy said it holds agreements from prospective customers in the commercial, defense, and humanitarian sectors covering the delivery of 500 Chaparrals with a potential value of $1 billion. It named American Airlines regional affiliate Mesa Airlines as one of these customers, reporting that the carrier intends to operate 150 aircraft on behalf of American, as well as United Airlines and DHL.
“The Chaparral is an important part of the future of express logistics,” said Elroy Air co-founder and CEO David Merrill. “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.”
According to Mesa&nbsp;chairman and CEO Jonathan Ornstein, deploying the autonomous Chaparral is a means to rapidly expand the capacity of an air freight industry that is struggling to keep up with rising demand. He cited&nbsp;pilot shortages and environmental requirements as factors pointing to the need for a new approach that will connect underserved communities.
Mesa Airlines has previously invested in Sweden's Heart Aerospace to support its plans to bring a 19-seat all-electric fixed-wing aircraft to market. It is also one of several launch customers for Archer's four-passenger eVTOL vehicles.
Ayr Logistics has signed up to add 100 Chaparrals to its fleet, which it deploys to support humanitarian operations in over 45 countries with agencies including the United Nations and the World Food Program. “What aid agencies spend on transportation is money that they are not spending on food, medicine,&nbsp;and other emergency supplies,” said the company’s chief development officer, Stephen Lyons. “Moving to unmanned, aerial cargo vehicles will make a huge difference to our cost structure and the risk profile of our operations. We fly in difficult terrain and difficult conditions. We don’t always have the luxury of a runway or even personnel at some locations.”
In August 2021, Lockheed Martin Ventures led a $40 million Series A funding round for the California-based start-up. Subsequently, in the fourth quarter of last year, the U.S. Air Force awarded Elroy a $1.7 million Tactical Funding Increase Award contract to support work in developing a concept of operations for the Chaparral in a variety of military missions as part of the wider Afwerx Agility Prime program.
“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,” said Afwerk director Colonel Nathan Diller. “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 logistics touchpoints.”
In 2019, Elroy Air flew an earlier prototype of the lift-and-cruise Chaparral. It has previously said that the full-scale prototype is set to start flight tests with the U.S. Air Force in 2022.
The Chaparral C1 aircraft unveiled this week features eight vertical lift fans, four distributed electric propulsors for cruise flight, and a high wing. It is designed to fit in a 40-foot shipping container or a C-130 military cargo aircraft to be positioned for remote operations.
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Elroy Announces Launch Customers for Autonomous Chaparral VTOL Aircraft

The U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program has awarded a Phase 3 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to Elroy Air. The contract, for which the value has not been confirmed, will support technical demonstrations and performance validation of the California-based start-up’s Chaparral autonomous cargo-carrying eVTOL aircraft, with flight trials due to start in 2021.
Agility Prime is collaborating with companies to accelerate entry into commercial service of new advanced air mobility vehicles that could support a variety of military missions, including logistics. The Air Force aims to be able to acquire aircraft that would be ready to achieve initial operational capability from 2023.
Elroy Air has been working on the Chaparral since December 2016 and made a first flight with the prototype in August 2019. The company has previously said it aims to achieve&nbsp;type certification for the Chaparral under FAA's Special Class 21.17 (b) rules in 2022. In 2019, Agility Prime awarded Elroy Air a $1.5 million Phase 2 SBIR contract. Based on flight testing conducted last year, the engineering team has been working on some refinements to the design of the prototype.
The hybrid-electric aircraft is projected to be able to carry a payload of up to 500 pounds on flights of up to 300 miles. Elroy says the autonomous operations will include both the loading and unloading of freight.
In January 2020, the program received a boost through a partnership agreement with EmbraerX. However, the status of this collaboration now seems unclear. When the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer launched its new Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions division in October, it made no mention of work with Elroy.

Elroy Air

News

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Elroy Announces Launch Customers for Autonomous Chaparral VTOL Aircraft

U.S. Air Force Backs Elroy's Chaparral Freighter with Follow-on Agility Prime Contract

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