Uncrewed aircraft specialist Kratos has been picked by Elroy Air as the exclusive US manufacturer of its Chaparral hybrid-electric autonomous vertical take-off and landing cargo drone.
Covering an initial five-year period, the contract is intended to accelerate high-volume production of the Chaparral.
Initial production, starting in 2026, will take place at Kratos’s site in Sacramento, California, later transitioning to high-rate manufacturing at another of the firm’s facilities in Oklahoma City.
Designed to transport a 135kg (300lb) payload in an underslung cargo pod over a range of 300 miles (482km), the Chapparal is pitched at both civil and military markets.
“Kratos has produced and delivered thousands of uncrewed aircraft, with a well-established and reliable supply chain for these systems. Their expanded production capabilities make them the ideal partner to bring Chaparral to market at scale,” says Elroy Air chief executive Andrew Clare.
Development and testing of the Chapparal is continuing, with Elroy Air in July and August performing several transition flights with the vehicle, achieving a maximum speed of 60kt (112km/h).
Vertical lift comes from eight distributed electric motors, while four electric motors are used to power horizontal flight.
Confirmed customers for the Chapparal include FedEx, Bristow Group and lessor LCI.
