Take a look at the video of one of the nine test flights of PteroDynamics’ autonomous Transwing® aircraft from the deck of the USNS Burlington during the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event (HFCE). The Transwing’s flight demonstrations turned heads.
We were able to test key operational capabilities:
● Integration of the UAS with ship operations
● Autonomous takeoff and landing from a flight deck with computer vision
● Takeoff, landing, and transition from VTOL to cruise flight performance
● Navigation to and from a moving ship at sea
The Navy conceived the event to test how to integrate emerging unmanned systems into fleet operations. Larger industry partners there to demonstrate automated seaborne systems and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) systems were impressed by the performance of a revolutionary UAS aircraft from a smaller vendor.
The Transwing’s success proves that a smaller company that focuses on its core technical competencies can be nimble and innovative. Our core competencies in aero mechanical design and rapid design, build, and testing, among others, are supercharged by a shared vision and close collaboration with key partners like Allocor.tech, FlightHouse Engineering, and Applied Navigation and other strategic vendors. We’re very grateful for their partnership and dedication to helping us achieve our vision.
Each partner focuses on a specific area of technical expertise integrated into the Transwing platform, and we all work closely together to quickly solve problems and test and iterate solutions. The result is a revolutionary autonomous aircraft that combines the speed and range of a fixed-wing plane with exceptional vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) performance in an efficient, highly automated platform.
Our vision for the future of UAS vehicles centers on building highly adaptable autonomous VTOL aircraft that have robust capabilities to complete missions safely, reliably, and at significant cost savings to operators. Successful automated UAS aircraft like the Transwing will offer a simpler, lower-cost way to deliver critical cargo to hard to reach locations with no runways, even in austere conditions.