RAZOR VTOL aircraft flies

PHOTOS COURTESY THE RESPECTIVE COMPANIES

Mayman Aerospace has completed successful flight tests at a military base in the Southern California desert of its RAZOR test bed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The test bed is the same dimensions and weight as the RAZOR P100 and uses the same propulsion, engine gimballing, thrust vectoring, and flight control systems.

Supported by a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the fully autonomous flight tests were designed to test avionics, thrust vectoring mechanisms, flight control laws, software, and command and control (C2). Tests focused on the transition of the engines moving out of hover mode, which is critical for high-speed winged flight. https://maymanaerospace.com

Silent Arrow gets contract to build cargo drone

AFWERX, a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), selected Silent Arrow for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract for $1.25 million focused on the Silent Arrow CLS-300 powered cargo drone to address pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The CLS-300 can carry 1,000 lb of payload between 300nm and 500nm in contested environments.

Silent Arrow’s Founder and CEO Chip Yates says, “We look forward to building on our Phase I propulsion test success as we prepare a number of full-scale aircraft for flight tests in Q3 and Q4 of 2025.” https://afresearchlab.com; https://afwerx.com; https://silent-arrow.com

Falcon UAS motors unveiled

Laconia, New Hampshire-based ePropelled, a manufacturer of advanced propulsion and energy management technologies, introduced its U.S.-assembled Falcon product line. The Falcon series provides compact propulsion systems from 1kW to 20kW to meet the demands of diverse uncrewed aerial system (UAS) applications.

Chinese manufacturers are restricted from exporting UAS propulsion components exceeding 16kW, and the U.S. government prohibits Chinese-made drone devices being used by government agencies, creating a critical need for non- China-supplied UAS component alternatives.

Nick Grewal, ePropelled CEO, says ePropelled drone solutions meet stringent technical requirements and help customers stay ahead of compliance challenges with products assembled in the U.S.

Falcon products consist of five electric propulsion motors, five intelligent motor controllers (up to 98% efficient), and an intelligent electronic engine starter motor controller. The ePConnected protocol offers comprehensive control, instrumentation, and real-time performance data- sharing services. https://epropelled.com