Aergility Atlis Gen 2 (prototype)
Atlis Gen 2 (prototype)
Aergility Corporation
Dunnellon, Florida, USA
www.aergility.com
The Aergility Corporation was founded in 2015 in Dunnellon, Florida, USA by Jim Vander Mey, CEO and Larry Yonge, VP of Research and Development. Aergility develops autonomous, long-range, high-payload cargo hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The Atlis Gen 2 remote controlled 1/4 scale hybrid-electric VTOL prototype cargo drone. The cruise speed, range and flight time is unknown at this time. The Altlis Gen 2 prototype has one main front propeller (for forward flight), one turbo-engine, six stationary rotors (nine feet in diameter, each) for VTOL flight, six electric motors, battery packs, one main high gull-wing, a V-tail and has fixed-skid helicopter-type landing gear. The aircraft has no cargo hold as it is a sub-scale prototype.
Most of the rotors are in an inverted position with two rotors underneath the end of each gull-wing. The other four rotors are on booms attached to the underside of the gull-wings and the booms are parallel to the fuselage. The rotor on the front of the boom is facing upward and the rotors on the rear of the boom are facing downward. There are pitot tubes attached to the front of each boom.
The propeller used for forward flight is powered by a turbo engine which not only turns the forward propeller but it also generates electricity to power the avionics of the aircraft and to recharge the batteries.
In forward flight, lift is provided by a small cord high-wing and airflow through the rotors provides additional lift just like an autogyro. During forward flight, the wing carries half the load and the rotors carry half the load, according to the company. Computer managed autorotation enables the aircraft to maintain lift and flight control by varying rotor RPMs while drawing no battery power. Aergility has patented this ability to manage autorotation during forward flight and it's called Managed Autorotation Technology (MAT).
The prototypes are being meticulously designed for safety, reliability, efficiency, low purchase cost, low maintenance cost, high payload weight, a large area for cargo and long range capability, with the ultimate goal of using this knowledge to be added to the final production model. In addition, the aircraft can be broken down and transported by truck, trailer, ship or aircraft.
Aergility's mission for the aircraft will be marketed for humanitarian aid, medical aid, developing worlds, emergency parts (in remote locations), offshore oil rigs and military needs - where there is limited or low-quality infrastructure. In the future, the company does foresee their drone being used in the package delivery service.
As of April 2022, the company has not stated the when they expect to see the aircraft ready to roll off the production line but they do intend to build their manufacturing facility in Dunnellon, Florida.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: 1/4 scale eVTOL heavy-lift cargo drone
- Piloting: Remote controlled
- Cruise speed: Unknown
- Range: Unknown
- Flight time: Unknown
- Maximum payload: No cargo
- Propellers: 1 propeller for forward flight, 6 propellers for VTOL flight.
- Electric Motors: 6 electric motors
- Turbo-engine: 1 turbo-prop 90 kW multi-fuel engine
- Power source: Multi-petroleum fuel and batteries
- Fuselage: Unknown
- Wings: 1 main high gull-wing
- Tail: 1 V-tail
- Landing gear: Fixed skid type landing gear
- Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of the aircraft.
Company Insights:
Resources:
- Aergility Corporation website
- Aergility Corporation Facebook
- Aergility Corporation Twitter
- Aergility Corporation YouTube Channel
- Aergility Corporation LinkedIn
- Video: Aergility ATLIS G2 Takes Flight, Aergility, Mar. 31, 2022
- Video: Flying with Aergility's Gen 2 ATLIS VTOL Cargo Aircraft, Aergility, Aug. 9, 2021
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