Aura Aerospace Guardian G2 (production model concept design)

Guardian G2 (production model concept design)
Aura Aerospace LLC
San Francisco, California, USA
www.aura.aero

Aura Aerospace was founded in August 2020 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. The company has a passion for high performance large all-electric drone technology, used for heavy-lift air cargo applications. The company is in the process of designing and manufacturing electric vertical takeoff and landing passenger multicopter aircraft for advanced aerial mobility (AAM).

The development program for the company started in 2018 with designing and building a ⅛ subscale demonstrator quadcopter that took to the air in 2018, to validate the technology and materials which will ultimately be used for production models. The next demonstrator was a ¼ scale quadcopter which successfully flew in 2019. In 2020, a third ultralight one passenger multicopter prototype was designed, built and flown which had 12 VTOL propellers.

Guardian eVTOL Platform Program:

• 2018: ⅛ scale demonstrator (quadcopter)
• 2019: ¼ scale demonstrator (quadcopter)
• 2020: Ultralight crewed prototype (dodecacopter - 12 propellers)
• 2021: Ultralight production model, G1 (pusher dodecacopter - 12 VTOL propellers, 1 pusher propeller)
• 2022: Full scale three passenger model

The company has also developed its own battery pack for their aircraft called the Aura Powercell. The Aura Powercell is also sold commercially to private and business customers. The company developed their own power cell because eVTOL aircraft need a burst of energy for takeoffs and landings and also need long-duration power for a useful flight range. The Aura Powercell has high-capacity ultracapacitors which provide large quantities of energy instantly for aircraft and other applications, yet requires minimal time for recharging.

Aura Aerospace has revealed their powercell will not burn, is very safe to use, is 90% recyclable and uses zero cobalt. The company states the Aura Powercell can be used for many applications such as: Satellite power, ion propulsion, electric aviation, eVTOL aircraft, directed energy (like flash lights), for audio (speakers), ebikes, high-performance electric vehicles (EV) and off-grid power.

The main aircraft goals for the company is to manufacture a very safe aircraft, one that is extremely reliable and uses high powered battery packs. The company noted that flying subscale remote controlled aircraft without a test pilot is very safe. Once a test pilot is used for subscale or full scale prototypes, the company recommends to fly the aircraft extensively, tethered to the ground, and at full throttle to ensure the aircraft's electronics and airframe can handle the stresses an aircraft has while flying in the real world.

The Guardian G2 (production model) eVTOL multicopter aircraft concept design holds three people, or one pilot and two passengers. As far as we know, the Guardian G2 is still on the drawing board and has not been made into a production prototype. The estimated cruise speed, flight time and range of the aircraft is unknown as of August 2022. The aircraft has a rear loading ramp allowing the aircraft hold one stretcher for air medical use, can have 1X1 seating for passengers or can be outfitted for air cargo service.

It is difficult to determine the number propellers for the G2 using the concept design drawing above. It looks as if the aircraft still has canard type struts for its propellers. Instead of the aircraft landing on the bottom of the fuselage, the drawing shows four stationary landing legs for the aircraft. This landing gear arrangement allows the aircraft to landing on uneven pavement or ground with almost no problems.

The aircraft has a canopy over the cockpit provides excellent views for the pilot. It looks as though the cockpit canopy takes up a little over half of inside of the fuselage. The design of the aircraft has mostly angular lines. The propellers of the Guardian G2 have no guards to protect people on the ground who are close by to the aircraft when the propellers are turning.

In 2021, the company began flight testing its Guardian G1 one passenger multicopter production model. Aura Aerospace expects to test the Guardian G2, a three passenger eVTOL multicopter production model, by the end of 2022.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger prototype aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 2 passengers
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown
• Flight time: Unknown
• Cruise altitude: Unknown
• Propellers: Unknown
• Electric motors: Unknown
• Power source: Battery packs
• Fuselage: Extruded aluminium airframe, polycarbonate cabin
• Window: Canopy over cockpit
• Landing gear: Four stationary landing legs
• 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.

Resources:

• Aura Aerospace LLC website
• Aura Aerospace LLC YouTube Channel
• Aura Aerospace LLC LinkedIn
• Article: Aura Aerospace announces ‘breakthrough’ eVTOL power cell, DroneDJ, Feb. 15, 2021
• Article: Aura Aerospace pitches Powercell ultracapacitor powertrains for eVTOL, New Atlas, Feb. 18, 2021
• Video: Aura Aerospace Powercell Demonstration, Aura Aerospace, Feb. 15, 2021
• Video: Guardian 103 Prototype, Aura Aerospace, Apr. 23, 2021
• Video: Thrust:Mass Accurate 1/4 Scale Demonstrator, Aura Aerospace, Apr. 29, 2021
• Video: Guardian G1 Teaser, Aura Aerospace, Dec. 5, 2021
• Video: Guardian G1 On Ground Systems Test, Aura Aerospace, Dec. 12, 2021
• Video: Guardian G1 Debut, Aura Aerospace, Dec. 19, 2021
• Article: Experimental passenger drone goes up in flames during test flight, DroneXL, July 28, 2022