Aerovel Flexrotor

VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) [ 2022 ]

The versatile Aerovel Flexrotor has an in-built Vertical Take-Off and Landing capability, allowing it to be used almost anywhere in the world.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/26/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from official Aerovel marketing materials.

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The Aerovel "Flexrotor" is an all-modern drone aircraft classified as a "Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System" (STUAS). The aircraft is billed as suitable for the "Intelligence-Surveillance-Target-Acquisition-Reconnaissance (ISTAR) role against targets / target areas on land or in the maritime environment. As a "tail-sitting" UAV, the drone has an in-built Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability, given inherent helicopter-like qualities with its recovery area needing only a 20x20 section of earth - adding to the tactical flexibility of this air vehicle.

Ease-of-operation allows the system to be made ready in short notice and the process can be undertaken by a single operator. Like other UAV systems, the Flexrotor features a stabilized optics set with a traversing capability, providing real-time imaging while tackling search-and-track actions in both day or low-light / night time environments. The UAS has a mission endurance window of around thirty hours with an operational range out to 120 kilometers (video range) while operating in most any weather conditions. The payload amounts to 17lb of mission-specific equipment.

Once achieving lift-off (vertically), the aircraft climbs to a safe diving altitude, the diving action allowing the aircraft to transition seamlessly to horizontal flight. It can fly to waypoints autonomously once achieving take-off and can be launched from prepared / unprepared areas as well as from the deck of a ship.

In the Flexrotor arrangement, the lift / drive propeller unit is seated at the "neck" of the fuselage just aft of the nose section. Mainplanes are fitted over the tube-like structure and a four-point landing system is seated at the tail. These tail supports collapse when the aircraft in flight, maintaining an aerodynamically-refined appearance. The tail planes aid in horizontal control / stability.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Aerovel - USA
Manufacturer(s)

United States (possible)
Operators

2022
Service Year

United States
National Origin

In-Development
Project Status

1
Crew

10
Units

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.

SPECIAL-MISSION: SEARCH & RESCUE
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

SPECOPS
Serving Special Forces / Special Operations elements and missions.

UNMANNED
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

VERTICAL TAKE-OFF / LANDING (VTOL)
Series has a tactical capability to take-off and / or land vertically, a quality commonly associated with helicopters.

FOLDING WING(S)
Mainplanes are designed to fold, improving storage on land and at sea.

RUGGED AIRFRAME
Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE
Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

MARITIME OPERATION
Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE
Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

UNMANNED OPERATION
Design features ability to fly sans pilot, actions controlled onboard through programming and / or ground-based operator.

AUTONOMOUS OPERATION
Design features autonomous flight operations made possible through onboard artificial intelligence or pre-programming.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Payload supports photographic equipment providing still and / or real-time image / video results.

6.6 ft
(2.00 meters)
Length

7.2 ft
(2.20 meters)
Width/Span

55 lb
(25 kilograms)
Empty Weight

73 lb
(33 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+18 lb
(+8 kg)
Weight Difference

monoplane / shoulder-mounted / straight
Mainplane Arrangement

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.

Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

1 x 28cc 2-stroke conventional engine driving two-bladed main rotor in puller arrangement.
Propulsion

87 mph
(140 kph | 76 knots)
Max Speed

53 mph
(85 kph | 46 knots)
Cruise Speed

+34 mph
(+55 kph | 30 knots)
Speed Difference

21,325 ft
(6,500 m | 4 miles)
Ceiling

1,243 miles
(2,000 km | 1,080 nm)
Range

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

None. Mission-specific equipment and related optics covering ISTAR requirements.

Flexrotor - Base Series Name.

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Image from official Aerovel marketing materials.

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