Elroy Air expands PIPE commitments to $175 million - 2026-09-24 - Market Signal - Lockheed Martin Ventures and Inflection Point participated in the expanded financing. The capital is intended to accelerate Chaparral production for commercial and defense customers. The proposed combination with Inflection Point… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air’s Bristow reservation total rises to 15 aircraft - 2026-09-17 - Commercial Order - Bristow had previously reserved five early positions and agreed to pre-order up to 100 aircraft. The expansion followed Chaparral’s autonomous cargo-flight demonstrations in Houma, Louisiana. The partners were evaluating… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air completes uncrewed Chaparral flights under the eIPP - 2026-09-02 - Demonstration - The flights took place under air traffic control oversight with no pilot onboard. Bristow Group and LIFTOFF Louisiana supported the programme at Houma–Terrebonne Airport. Cargo included parcels, medical supplies, toolboxes, food… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air wins $46.06M Army contract for autonomous hybrid-VTOL UAS - 2026-08-17 - Contract Award - $5,135,354 in fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds was obligated at award. The firm-fixed-price work will be performed in South San Francisco and is scheduled for completion on February 18, 2029. Army… - source: war.gov
Kratos expands Sacramento line for late-2026 Chaparral production - 2026-07-20 - Production Milestone - Kratos is expanding Sacramento capacity and expects to add more than 50 employees as Chaparral production ramps. The autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL is designed to carry more than 500 lb over distances of up to 450 miles.… - source: kratosdefense.com
Elroy Air demonstrates unattended Chaparral airdrop modes - 2026-07-15 - Demonstration - A single flight released a 68-pound load from hover and a 70-pound load from 65 feet during forward flight. Software executed the drops from programmed coordinates without operator input during release. Elroy Air also reported a… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air signs SPAC deal with Columbus Circle Capital Corp II - 2026-06-26 - Market Signal - The transaction is expected to list the combined company in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to approvals and closing conditions. Elroy said proceeds would support commercial-scale production of Chaparral autonomous cargo… - source: businesswire.com
Chaparral selected for U.S. eVTOL Integration Pilot Program - 2026-03-11 - Regulatory - The planned programme covers cargo operations across Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. Target locations include Gulf Coast and energy-industry sites. Elroy Air was the programme's only purpose-built heavy-payload cargo-drone OEM. - source: elroyair.com
Barq Group and Elroy Air sign initial Abu Dhabi Chaparral manufacturing JV agreement - 2026-01-08 - Partnership - The framework covers a planned Abu Dhabi facility for Chaparral manufacturing and services in the MENA region. The JV is intended to support commercial and humanitarian customers after required approvals. Elroy and Barq plan… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air completes first airport-to-airport Chaparral cargo delivery - 2025-12-18 - Demonstration - A first airport-to-airport cargo delivery was completed using the hybrid-electric Chaparral VTOL aircraft. The December 10 flight carried 213 lb over 2.6 miles in Byron, California and reached approximately 60 mph before landing… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air names Kratos exclusive U.S. manufacturer for Chaparral - 2025-09-23 - Partnership - Initial aircraft were planned for Sacramento, followed by high-rate production in Oklahoma City. The first production Chaparral aircraft were targeted for 2026. Kratos would contribute existing composite-drone manufacturing… - source: globenewswire.com
Chaparral autonomously transitions to 70 mph wingborne flight - 2025-08-14 - Demonstration - The aircraft reached a maximum speed of 70 mph. Forward flight used up to four times less power than vertical flight. The flights established the technical basis for longer point-to-point missions. - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air completes funding first close and names Andrew Clare CEO - 2025-01-14 - Funding - Shield Capital, Snowpoint Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Milano Investment Partners, DiamondStream Partners and Levitate Capital participated. The financing was allocated to Chaparral productization. Clare brought vehicle-program… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air flies its first turbogenerator-hybrid Chaparral prototype - 2023-11-12 - Demonstration - The Chaparral C1 took off vertically, flew for 57 seconds and landed at Byron Airport, California. Its distributed propulsion combines a turbine-driven generator with high-power batteries. The next envelope-expansion work covered… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air secures five early Chaparral delivery reservations from Bristow - 2023-09-05 - Commercial Order - Deposits secured positions for some of the first commercially certified Chaparral aircraft planned from production. Bristow intended to use the aircraft internationally for logistics, healthcare and energy applications. The… - source: elroyair.com
LCI commits to up to 40 Chaparral aircraft and deposits on first 20 - 2023-01-11 - Commercial Order - Elroy Air said its aggregate aircraft demand exceeded $2 billion and 900 systems after the agreement. LCI planned to make Chaparral available through its aviation-financing platform. Elroy Air also moved flight-test operations… - source: elroyair.com
Bristow signs Chaparral purchase letter of intent - 2022-07-13 - Market Signal - The LOI was expected to be replaced by a separate purchase agreement. Bristow planned to combine its vertical-flight and UAS operating experience with Chaparral. Elroy Air reported agreements covering 900 aircraft across… - source: elroyair.com
FedEx plans Chaparral cargo-drone testing with Elroy Air - 2022-03-30 - Partnership - Planned trials would move shipments between FedEx Express sortation locations. The companies had collaborated since January 2020 and aimed to begin flight testing in 2023. The project also covered certification work for autonomous… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air unveils pre-production Chaparral cargo aircraft - 2022-01-26 - Product Launch - The announced design targeted 300–500 pounds of cargo over a 300-mile range. Mesa Airlines expressed intent to order 150 aircraft for parcel and healthcare logistics. A U.S. Air Force TACFI award added $1.7 million to the… - source: elroyair.com
AYR Logistics commits to purchase up to 100 Chaparral aircraft - 2021-11-15 - Commercial Order - AYR planned to use Chaparral for food, shelter, medicine, vaccine and equipment delivery. The agreement was signed in October 2021 and announced at the Dubai Air Show. The commitment covered autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air raises $40M Series A for Chaparral development - 2021-08-03 - Funding - Catapult Ventures, DiamondStream Partners, Side X Side Management, Shield Capital Partners and Precursor Ventures also participated. The company planned to complete pre-production aircraft, advance certification and begin flight… - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air and NASA partner on autonomous cargo-aircraft integration - 2021-01-14 - Partnership - The work covered collision avoidance, flight-path management and two-way network flight-plan communications. NASA planned to supply simulation scenarios and interface details. The partners intended to demonstrate integrated… - source: elroyair.com
U.S. Air Force awards Elroy Air Phase III SBIR for Chaparral - 2020-12-18 - Contract Award - The work covered operational test and evaluation of the aircraft and its subsystems. The contract created a path toward potential Air Force acquisition. Elroy Air had begun working with the Air Force under a Phase II SBIR in 2019. - source: elroyair.com
Elroy Air completes first full-scale Chaparral prototype flight - 2019-08-14 - Demonstration - The 1,215-pound prototype climbed to 10 feet and hovered for 64 seconds before landing. The flight was conducted at McMillan Airfield in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School. Further testing was planned for autonomous… - source: elroyair.com