Aerovel Flexrotor

VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

United States | 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; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from official Aerovel marketing materials.

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.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Aerovel Flexrotor VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

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

87 mph
140 kph | 76 kts
Max Speed

53 mph
85 kph | 46 kts
Cruise Speed

21,325 ft
6,500 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

1,243 miles
2,000 km | 1,080 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Aerovel Flexrotor VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

1
(MANNED)
Crew

6.6 ft
2.00 m
O/A Length

7.2 ft
(2.20 m)
O/A Width

55 lb
(25 kg)
Empty Weight

73 lb
(33 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Aerovel Flexrotor VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) .

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

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Aerovel Flexrotor family line.

Flexrotor - Base Series Name.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Aerovel Flexrotor. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 10 Units
Contractor(s): Aerovel - USA

[ United States (possible) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 100mph

Lo: 50mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (87mph).

Graph Average of 75 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

10

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image from official Aerovel marketing materials.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

SEARCH & RESCUE

RECONNAISSANCE

SPECIAL FORCES

UNMANNED

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces

Going Further...
The Aerovel Flexrotor VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) appears in the following collections:

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