The US Air Force is testing a BlackFly electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Ohio for the Agility Prime program.
Agility Prime is an effort to explore aerial vertical lift platforms for different mission sets and produce a new class of mobility systems.
The initiative is led by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the service’s innovation arm, AFWERX.
Flight and Replenishment Assessed
Launched at the Springfield-Beckley Airport, the trials saw the single-seater BlackFly undergo varying scenarios in its unmanned configuration.
Part of the demonstrations was the coupling of the eVTOL with a remote-controlled mobile power station developed by Indiana-based DANNAR.
Throughout the tests, the DANNAR station’s 120-volt outlets generated power for flight operations while its 240-volt outlets recharged the aircraft.
Simulations involved reconnaissance over targets in specific locations. Each trip ran for about 20 minutes before the eVTOL required a full charge for unmanned deployment.
The AFRL and AFWERX teams also measured timelines of the BlackFly’s charging intervals and preparations before a succeeding flight.
“We’re not just interested in the aircraft’s flying capabilities,” AFWERX Flight Test Engineer Josh Lane stated.
“We’re also looking at the infrastructure, including electric charging systems like the DANNAR battery energy storage system and the portable chargers provided by the original equipment manufacturers.”
“We are assessing the overall flight operations in the context of Air Force and other stakeholder concepts of employment.”
Tests Until September
Work for the recent Springfield-Beckley tests was held in collaboration with Virginia-based defense contractor Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MSTI).
Alongside the BlackFLy, Agility Prime also assessed other commercial eVTOLs, including Pyka’s Pelican Cargo, Pipistrel’s Velis Electro, and BETA’s ALIA.
The US Air Force wrote that the fleet’s evaluation will proceed until mid-September to complete the necessary data for possible government acquisition.
“We’re exploring a range of military-type use cases, from logistics and material transport to emergency response and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,” Agility Prime Acting Branch Chief Jacob Wilson explained.
“Our goal is to accelerate the commercial adoption of these innovations, particularly in the US, to ensure a strong industrial base of these technologies and transition the most suitable among them to the warfighter.”
The Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL
Developed by Pivotal, the BlackFly is a 13.5-foot (4-meter) aircraft with a wingspan of 13.7 feet (4.14 meters) and a gross weight of 563 pounds (255 kilograms).
It is powered by eight 42-horsepower engine motors and 3-foot two-bladed propellers for a top speed of 70 knots (129 kilometers/80 miles per hour), range of 35 nautical miles (40 miles/64 kilometers), and an operational ascent of 1,000 feet per minute (5.1 meters per second).
Pivotal received a two-year contract in March for BlackFly’s access to test facilities, resources, and multiple sites under restricted airspace.
The deal followed the handover of BlackFly systems and corresponding flight simulators to MSTI for Agility Prime evaluations.
