Yates Electrospace Corporation (YEC), world leaders in heavy payload, unmanned cargo delivery solutions released a video of the Silent Arrow® GD-2000 cargo delivery drone. Silent Arrow® is a tandem-wing, disposable, guided delivery vehicle developed for the US Special Forces to conduct military resupply and civilian disaster relief missions at less than half the cost of JPADS with more than 2.5X the standoff capability. Designed for military logistical support, Silent Arrow’s tightly integrated packaging with spring-deployed wings transported inside the fuselage, high standoff distance and low cost have led to expanded military contracts with the U.S. and allied foreign government Special Operators, as well as aerospace & defense companies.
The patented design allows the 28-foot (8.5m), spring-loaded wingspan to be stowed inside the 8-foot (2.4m) fuselage for compact transportation to the theater of operations. Silent Arrow® is deployed from the C-17, C-130, CH-53, V-22, various side-door aircraft as well as via helicopter sling load with wings closed and static-line deployed, or wings already open and locked in position. YEC has led an ongoing flight test program since 2017, in military airspace (undisclosed) and civilian airspace (Pendleton UAS Test Range, Pendleton Oregon) with rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft ranging from light Bell helicopters, up to the UH-1H “Huey”, and the C-130 with deployment altitudes from as low as 1,500 feet AGL up to 25,000 feet MSL.
The United States Air Force has awarded contract FA864921P0478 entitled “Feasibility of Downsizing and Adapting Commercial Silent Arrow® Cargo Delivery UAS to Meet Specific AFSOC Operational Requirements” to the company effective February 5, 2021. The contract will be executed in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) with funding from AFWERX. Under this Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) contract, the commercially successful Silent Arrow® GD-2000 (Glider, Disposable, 2000 pounds) platform will be scaled down for CV-22 cargo ramp and smaller fixed-wing side-door deployment activities for unspecified U.S. operations.
Yates Electrospace Corporation, founded in 2012 by electric aviation pioneer Chip Yates, to produce the 1-ton Silent Arrow® and AVIUS Air Deliveryâ„¢ autonomous cargo drone product lines, which were named one of six “Unmanned Cargo Aircraft to Watch” by Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. Our engineering team has been awarded more than 20 patents, 6 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) aircraft world records and 2 FAI Louis Bleriot medals for disruptive contributions to the aviation industry. Yates Electrospace Corporation (YEC) was founded in 2012 by electric aviation pioneer Chip Yates, YEC is known for designing, building and flying the world’s fastest manned electric aircraft, developing and constructing megawatt-class electric propulsion systems, and successfully performing government contracts.
