Elroy Air

Elroy Air develops cargo delivery drones primarily for military, but also for commercial purposes. The company unveiled its pre-production version of its drone (“Chaparral”) in January 2022, which is pitched toward both last and middle-mile cargo delivery. The drones come equipped with hybrid-electric powertrains, rotor-based vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and transitions to wing-based cruise flight for long range. They are also equipped with advanced perception robotic solutions for ground navigation and GPS and sensor technologies for automatic cargo loading and unloading. The drone is capable of flying at speeds of up to 143 mph, covering a range of 300 miles, carrying a payload of 300 lbs. The cargo-carrying pods that can be attached to the drones come in two models, namely, 1) “Palletized Pod,” designed for easy loading of heavier cargo, and 2) “Express Pod,” designed for easy loading of smaller lightweight cargo. The company claims long-range flights do not require additional infrastructure such as airports or charging stations.

Key customers and partnerships

As of October 2023, Elroy Air had 1,000+ pre-orders for its drones from commercial, defense, and humanitarian customers. Its key commercial partners include FedEx Express (for middle-mile cargo delivery between FedEx’s sortation locations in 2023; March 2022); Mesa Airlines, an American regional airline (pre-ordered 150 drones; January 2022); and provider of sustainable vertical flight solutions Bristow Group (pre-ordered 100 drones; July 2022).