PteroDynamics’ innovative folding wing Transwing drone has completed a vital sea trial for the United States Navy. Fully autonomous, the all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was able to approach and land safely on a moving target. If the drone is to have any future with the likes of the Navy, this test has been a necessary hurdle to overcome, and, by all accounts, it passed it with flying colors.Sea trials passed
Last week, PteroDynamics’ latest prototype, the Transwing X-P4, demonstrated its capabilities by completing nine autonomous launch and recovery flights from the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport USNS Burlington deck sailing near Key West, Florida. The demonstration was attended by Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and representatives from the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the Swedish Navy.
“Participating in The Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event brought us closer to our goal of providing the U.S. Navy with a flexible and scalable shore-to-ship, ship-to-ship, and ship-to-shore automated cargo delivery capability,” said Tim Whitehand, PteroDynamics VP of Engineering.
“Flight testing on board the USNS Burlington gave us a unique and valuable opportunity to collect performance data on the Transwing system in an operational environment. The information gathered during the event will accelerate development and seed further innovation. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this important exercise and the support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR),” he added.
Hellbound and Down 