Describing it as a “flying Ford F150 truck,” U.S. startup Elroy Air has begun flight-testing its Chaparral large unmanned cargo aircraft. The 1,215-lb. vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft made a 64-sec. first hover flight on Aug. 14 at the Camp Roberts California National Guard Base.
While Amazon, Wing and others are developing drones for last-mile delivery, San Francisco-based Elroy is among a handful of companies—including Boeing—that see a market for larger, longer-range autonomous cargo aircraft that can be used to provide rapid, responsive logistics across a region or to remote locations.
First phase of tests focused on vertical flight
Second phase will add hybrid-electric propulsion
The Chaparral prototype is being flight-tested at McMillan Airfield on Camp Roberts under a cooperative research and development agreement with the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. This provides Elroy Air with access to restricted military airspace for flight testing in return for working with the U.S. Marine Corps on concepts of operations for unmanned logistics aircraft.
The first prototype Chaparral made 64-sec first hover flight on battery power at Camp Roberts, California, on Aug. 24. Credit: Elroy Air

The Chaparral is a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft designed to carry 200-250 lb. of cargo up to 300 mi. in its initial version. The aircraft has six electric-powered rotors on two outrigger booms for vertical flight and a wing and pusher propeller for efficient forward flight.
The first prototype is flying on battery power only and will conduct hover and low-speed testing within visual line of sight of the operator at McMillan Airfield. This aircraft will be used to validate the flight controls, avionics and automated cargo handling system. 

Elroy plans to build a second prototype fitted with the hybrid-electric propulsion system for long-range flight testing beyond visual line of sight at Camp Roberts. This aircraft is expected to fly in the second half of 2020.
The prototype was remotely controlled for the first flight. “The next step is to add more autonomy and the cargo handling system,” says CEO Dave Merrill.
The Chaparral uses an under-fuselage cargo pod that is loaded and unloaded independently of the aircraft and then positioned on the airport ramp. The aircraft then taxis in autonomously, drops off its pod and picks up another one.
This avoids the need to keep the aircraft waiting while cargo is being loaded and unloaded, speeding turnaround, and eliminates the need for people to be near the aircraft while it is being turned around, improving safety, says Merrill.
The cargo handling system has been built in parallel with the first prototype. “We have done taxi, pick up and drop off, but the cargo pod was not integrated for the first flight,” he says. “The first phase of flight test is focused on vertical flight, the powertrain and cargo handling system. We will do one more iteration of the airframe to be ready for long-range flying.”
The first phase of testing will focus on vertical flight and the automated handling system for the cargo pod. Credit: Elroy Air

The prototype is equipped with the avionics and flight controls, but the perception system required for fully autonomous operation is not fitted yet. On the ground, the Chaparral will use GPS, lidar and a camera to taxi autonomously. In the air, Elroy plans to use traffic information and an onboard radar for detect-and-avoid capability.
The vehicle has attracted interest from established air cargo operators that would buy or lease aircraft and fly them as well as logistics companies looking for a service, says Kofi Asante, head of strategy and business development.
As a result, Elroy is pursuing two business models: manufacturing and selling the aircraft to operators and operating them itself and providing a service. Lead markets are in areas with infrastructure challenges such as islands, Asante says, where there is little risk to people on the ground, but rapid, reliable logistics are needed.
The startup raised $9.2 million in seed funding in February. The next step in the near term, says Merrill, is a Series A funding round that would raise the financing required to take the Chaparral into series production. Deliveries are expected to begin by 2021.
Elroy is working with the FAA on certification of the Chaparral, but initial deliveries are expected to be to government agencies and international customers that will not require the aircraft to have completed certification before being deployed.