The US Navy (USN) is expanding funding for an experimental autonomous aircraft meant to provide logistics support to ships at sea.
The service on 18 February announced it will provide an additional $4.6 million to PteroDynamics for continued development of the Transwing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV).
The funds represent the navy’s sixth round of funding for PteroDynamics under the Blue Water Logistics programme, which seeks to find a solution for economically delivering light cargo loads.
“This sixth contract expansion is so significant because it calls for the clean-sheet design, build, and demonstration of the next-generation P5 Transwing aircraft that will give the US Navy an effective solution for automated just-in-time delivery of critical repair parts and supplies at sea,” says PteroDynamics chief executive Matthew Graczyk.
The company demonstrated the P4 Transwing prototype vehicle at sea during the USN’s 2024 Rim of the Pacific exercises in Hawaii. The P5 design will boast a maximum take-off weight of 150kg (330lb) and be able to autonomously deliver a 22.5kg payload at least 400nm (740km), including ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship deliveries.
The latest navy contract will fund the assembly and testing of two P5 Transwing prototypes.
The uncrewed aircraft features a unique folding wing design that allows the craft to transition between vertical and horizontal flight. The Transwing’s four engine nacelles are fixed, but change orientation as the wings rotate between flight modes.
The Transwing is powered by a hybrid electric and internal combustion powertrain that burns the US military’s standard JP-5 heavy fuel.
While PteroDynamics is initially targeting military operations at sea, Graczyk thinks the autonomous UAV’s capability will ultimately prove appealing to a range of military and non-military operators.
“The size and capabilities of the P5 also hit a sweet spot in what we see in broader market demand, not only for other military branches like the air force, but also for commercial, governmental and public safety operators around the world,” he says.
The company notes that 90% of electronics parts and assemblies delivered on USN resupply flights carry materiel weighing less than the P5 Transwing payload of 22.5kg.
Those deliveries are currently handled by large, crewed rotorcraft, including the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk and Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, which cost around $5,000 per flight hour to operate.
In addition to the expense, helicopter operations are limited by crew-rest and weather requirements, and typically must operate during daylight – restrictions that do not apply to UAVs.
