American developer of autonomous aircraft systems Elroy Air has achieved the first flight of its turbogenerator-hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (hVTOL) aircraft, the Chaparrai C1, in an industry first for the configuration.
The uncrewed platform, which features distributed electric propulsion and a turbogenerator-battery architecture, took off vertically before flying for 57 seconds in what Elroy Air co-founder and CEO Dave Merrill described as a “major moment for the industry”. “Hybrid-electric aircraft enable the dual benefits of runway-independent safe redundant propulsion, and long-range flight well in excess of battery power alone,” he elaborated.
The Chaparri aircraft is described as being in high demand across the commercial, humanitarian and defence logistics sectors, which a vehicle backlog exceeding $3 billion in future revenues. Since starting work with the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) in 2019, Elroy Air also holds three active contracts with the US Air Force.
“This groundbreaking initial flight of the C1 will be followed by an ongoing envelope expansion campaign in coordination with the US Air Force in which we’ll advance the vehicle’s demonstrated flight capabilities through subsequent modes of airborne operations,” said Elroy Air VP of engineering Zach Lovering; highlighting that future testing will include expanding the vehicle’s hover envelope, system identification, the transition to forward flight and ultimately its cruise capabilities.