Elroy Air

• Chaparral

  Chaparral

Facilities & manufacturing

• Production setup

  2026-09-17 - Kratos planned the first production Chaparral aircraft for late 2026 at its expanding Sacramento, California facility. - Chaparral first production timing; no annual capacity or achieved output - Sacramento, California, United States

  Source

Orders & commitments

• Order / commitment

  2026-09-17 - Bristow held 15 early Chaparral delivery reservations after expanding its reserved positions. - Bristow reserved early delivery positions; separate from up-to-100 pre-order agreement and actual aircraft delivery

  Source

Supply chain relationships

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

  Inbound - Manufacturing - Kratos is contracted as Elroy Air’s exclusive U.S. Chaparral manufacturer, with first production aircraft planned for late 2026

  Source
• Doodle Labs

  Inbound - Communications - Elroy Air integrated Doodle Labs Mesh Rider Radio into the Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft communications architecture

  Source

• 2025-01-14 - Additional financing first close - Elroy Air completes funding first close and names Andrew Clare CEO

  Elroy Air completed the first close of an undisclosed financing led by Marlinspike Partners and appointed Andrew Clare as CEO; founder Dave Merrill became Executive Chairman. - source: elroyair.com

• 2021-08-03 - Series A - $40M - Elroy Air raises $40M Series A for Chaparral development

  Elroy Air raised a $40 million Series A from Marlinspike Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures and Prosperity7 Ventures, bringing disclosed funding at the time to $48 million. - source: elroyair.com

• DiamondStream Partners - Participant - VC - 2 funding events - repeat backer - first seen 2021-08-03 - latest 2025-01-14
• Lockheed Martin Ventures - Participant - Corporate / CVC - 2 funding events - repeat backer - strategic/corporate - first seen 2021-08-03 - latest 2025-01-14
• Catapult Ventures - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2021-08-03
• Levitate Capital - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2025-01-14
• Marlinspike Capital - Lead - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2021-08-03
• Marlinspike Partners - Lead - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2025-01-14
• Milano Investment Partners - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2025-01-14
• Precursor Ventures - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2021-08-03
• Prosperity7 Ventures - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2021-08-03
• Shield Capital - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2025-01-14
• Shield Capital Partners - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2021-08-03
• Side X Side Management - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2021-08-03
• Snowpoint Ventures - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2025-01-14

• Andrew Clare - Chief Executive Officer - Leads Chaparral productization, business scale-up and expansion of defense and commercial customers.
• Dave Merrill - Founder and Executive Chairman - Focuses on strategic initiatives as Elroy Air develops and scales the Chaparral autonomous cargo-aircraft business.
• Buddy Michini - Chief Technology Officer - Previously led Elroy Air software work during integration and flight tests of Chaparral’s Mesh Rider communications system.
• Clint Cope - Co-Founder; Former Chief Product Officer

Curated durable documents and official technical references.

• Elroy Air media kit

  WEB · Company and Chaparral media · Elroy Air

  Source
• Elroy Air investor presentation - September 2026

  HTML · Proposed business combination; 2026 investor presentation · Elroy Air / Columbus Circle Capital Corp. II / SEC

  Source

Events

• 2026-09-24 - Market Signal - Elroy Air expands PIPE commitments to $175 million

  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 Acquisition Corp. VII remained subject to shareholder and regulatory steps.

  Source
• 2026-09-17 - Commercial Order - Elroy Air’s Bristow reservation total rises to 15 aircraft

  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 commercial logistics, government-service and special-mission applications.

  Source
• 2026-09-02 - Demonstration - Elroy Air completes uncrewed Chaparral flights under the eIPP

  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 and water.

  Source
• 2026-08-17 - Contract Award - Elroy Air wins $46.06M Army contract for autonomous hybrid-VTOL UAS

  $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 Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground is the contracting activity under contract W911QX-26-C-A016.

  Source
• 2026-07-15 - Demonstration - Elroy Air demonstrates unattended Chaparral airdrop modes

  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 separate unattended ground-delivery demonstration and planned further field exercises with the U.S. Army.

  Source
• 2026-07-20 - Production Milestone - Kratos expands Sacramento line for late-2026 Chaparral production

  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. Kratos will fulfil U.S. customer orders; Elroy Air reports a demand pipeline exceeding 1,400 aircraft.

  Source
• 2026-06-26 - Market Signal - Elroy Air signs SPAC deal with Columbus Circle Capital Corp II

  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 drones with Kratos. The company cited a demand pipeline of more than 1,400 aircraft and an Abu Dhabi manufacturing joint venture.

  Source
• 2026-03-11 - Regulatory - Chaparral selected for U.S. eVTOL Integration Pilot Program

  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
• 2026-01-08 - Partnership - Barq Group and Elroy Air sign initial Abu Dhabi Chaparral manufacturing JV agreement

  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 initial UAE flight operations in 2027 using U.S.-built aircraft, followed by local production in Abu Dhabi in 2028.

  Source
• 2025-12-18 - Demonstration - Elroy Air completes first airport-to-airport Chaparral cargo delivery

  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 at a second location. Published specs in the release describe Chaparral as designed for up to 300 lb of cargo over 300 miles, with the milestone framed as part of the path toward 2026 production scaling.

  Source
• 2025-09-23 - Partnership - Elroy Air names Kratos exclusive U.S. manufacturer for Chaparral

  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 facilities and a qualified UAS supply chain.

  Source
• 2025-08-14 - Demonstration - Chaparral autonomously transitions to 70 mph wingborne flight

  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
• 2025-01-14 - Funding - Elroy Air completes funding first close and names Andrew Clare CEO

  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 experience across autonomy, aerospace, automotive and robotics.

  Source
• 2023-11-12 - Demonstration - Elroy Air flies its first turbogenerator-hybrid Chaparral prototype

  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 hover, transition and cruise flight with U.S. Air Force coordination.

  Source
• 2023-09-05 - Commercial Order - Elroy Air secures five early Chaparral delivery reservations from Bristow

  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 reservations followed the companies’ 2022 letter of intent for up to 100 aircraft.

  Source
• 2023-01-11 - Commercial Order - LCI commits to up to 40 Chaparral aircraft and deposits on first 20

  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 to a 7,000-square-foot hangar at Byron Airport.

  Source
• 2022-07-13 - Market Signal - Bristow signs Chaparral purchase letter of intent

  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 commercial, defence and humanitarian customers at the time.

  Source
• 2022-03-30 - Partnership - FedEx plans Chaparral cargo-drone testing with Elroy Air

  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 middle-mile cargo operations.

  Source
• 2022-01-26 - Product Launch - Elroy Air unveils pre-production Chaparral cargo aircraft

  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 company’s existing Phase III SBIR work.

  Source
• 2021-11-15 - Commercial Order - AYR Logistics commits to purchase up to 100 Chaparral aircraft

  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 aircraft for remote operations without conventional infrastructure.

  Source
• 2021-08-03 - Funding - Elroy Air raises $40M Series A for Chaparral development

  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 validation with U.S. Air Force and Navy partners. The round financed Chaparral integration, test operations and supply-chain development.

  Source
• 2021-01-14 - Partnership - Elroy Air and NASA partner on autonomous cargo-aircraft integration

  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 scenarios with Chaparral flights.

  Source
• 2020-12-18 - Contract Award - U.S. Air Force awards Elroy Air Phase III SBIR for Chaparral

  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
• 2019-08-14 - Demonstration - Elroy Air completes first full-scale Chaparral prototype flight

  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 control, transitions and forward flight.

  Source

Relationships

• NASA

  Airspace Integration Partner - Elroy Air and NASA collaborate on safe integration of autonomous cargo aircraft into U.S. airspace.

• LCI

  Chaparral Customer And Aircraft Financing Partner - LCI agreed to acquire up to 40 Chaparral aircraft and paid deposits for the first 20.

• Bristow Group

  Early Delivery Reservations; No Delivery Asserted - Bristow expanded its Chaparral early-delivery reservations to 15 aircraft in September 2026, following an earlier pre-order agreement for up to 100.

• AYR Logistics

  Humanitarian Logistics Customer - AYR Logistics committed to purchase up to 100 Chaparral aircraft for humanitarian logistics.

• United States Army

  Phase Iii Sbir Development Contract - The U.S. Army awarded Elroy Air a $46,058,871 Phase III SBIR contract to develop an autonomous hybrid-VTOL UAS; $5,135,354 was obligated at award.

• United States Air Force

  Government Programme Customer - The U.S. Air Force awarded Elroy Air a Phase III SBIR contract for Chaparral technical demonstration and validation.

• Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VII (formerly Columbus Circle Capital Corp II)

  Proposed Business Combination; Not Closed - Elroy Air signed a proposed business-combination agreement with the SPAC now named Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VII; closing remains conditional.

• Barq Group

  Abu Dhabi Manufacturing Jv Framework - Barq Group and Elroy Air signed an initial agreement for a $200 million JV framework to manufacture and service Chaparral systems in Abu Dhabi.

• FedEx

  Chaparral Middle Mile Testing Partner - FedEx Express and Elroy Air agreed to test Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft for middle-mile logistics operations.

Comparable profiles

• Moya Aero

  comparable profile - Evtol Cargo Aircraft Builder

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

  stack adjacency

• Natilus

  stack adjacency - Autonomous Flight

• NEX Aero

  stack adjacency - Autonomous Flight

• Malloy Aeronautics

  stack adjacency - Autonomous Flight

Shared workflows

• Shield AI

  workflow adjacency

• Zipline

  workflow adjacency

• Dufour Aerospace

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• SURVICE Engineering

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• FlyingBasket

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• MightyFly

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• Parallel Flight Technologies

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• Acodyne

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• Windracers

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• Blueflite

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• EndureAir Systems

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

• Grid Aero

  workflow adjacency - Cargo UAV Oem

Context tags

• eVTOL cargo aircraft builder - Peer Group - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Cargo UAV development and operations - Workflow - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Defence customers - Customer Environment - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Unmanned aircraft OEM - Stack Layer - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Tactical cargo UAV logistics - Workflow - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Heavy-lift UAV cargo - Workflow - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Logistics operations - Customer Environment - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Autonomous flight - Capability - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Heavy-lift cargo drones - Capability - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.
• Manufacturing scale-up - Commercial Stage - Elroy Air develops the Chaparral hybrid-electric lift-plus-cruise cargo aircraft and autonomous pod handling.

• Elroy Air’s Bristow reservation total rises to 15 aircraft

  2026-09-17 · Order / contract · Bristow reserved ten additional early Chaparral delivery positions, increasing its total to 15.

  Source
• Elroy Air wins $46.06M Army contract for autonomous hybrid-VTOL UAS

  2026-08-17 · Order / contract · The U.S. Army awarded Elroy Air a $46,058,871 Phase III SBIR contract to develop an autonomous Group IV hybrid-VTOL unmanned aircraft system for modular multi-mission payload delivery.

  Source
• Elroy Air secures five early Chaparral delivery reservations from Bristow

  2023-09-05 · Order / contract · Bristow paid deposits to reserve five early Chaparral delivery slots, advancing its earlier letter of intent for up to 100 aircraft.

  Source
• LCI commits to up to 40 Chaparral aircraft and deposits on first 20

  2023-01-11 · Order / contract · LCI agreed to acquire up to 40 Chaparral aircraft and paid deposits for the first 20, while enabling aircraft-financing access for operators.

  Source
• AYR Logistics commits to purchase up to 100 Chaparral aircraft

  2021-11-15 · Order / contract · AYR Logistics agreed to purchase up to 100 Chaparral aircraft and work with Elroy Air on autonomous humanitarian aerial-delivery services.

  Source
• U.S. Air Force awards Elroy Air Phase III SBIR for Chaparral

  2020-12-18 · Order / contract · Elroy Air received a Phase III SBIR contract through the U.S. Air Force Agility Prime programme for Chaparral technical demonstrations and performance validation.

  Source