Uncrewed Systems Technology 047 l Aergility ATLIS l AI focus l Clevon 1 UGV l Geospatial insight l Intergeo 2022 report l AUSA 2022 report I Infinity fuel cell l BeeX A.IKANBILIS l Propellers focus I Phoenix Wings Orca

28 Through its 2 years of real-world trials, the core MAT concept was proven out, and key areas for future improvements were identified, such as the potential for interference between rotors and how the aircraft might be reconfigured to mitigate that and enhance performance. “Those trials gave that big company the data to convince them we’d either met or exceeded their expectations, so in 2020 they became our silent partner and funded us to develop the Gen 2 and then the current Gen 3,” Vander Mey says. The Gen 2 prototype followed in 2020, fitted with six staggered rotors to resolve the interference, a tractor propeller, a small-chord wing for greater cruise efficiency and a vee-tail for flight trim. “Gen 2 was also quarter-scale, albeit with a much more efficient design, so much so that its test regimen led directly to what we unveiled in early 2022 at AUVSI Xponential, which we call our full-scale Gen 3 ATLIS, the version we have now,” Yonge says. “Size comparisons aside, there’s little fundamental design difference between the Gen 2 and Gen 3. The main things are that the back rotors are higher for the loading crew’s safety, and the fuselage is better shaped for cargo boxes.” From 2020 to ’21, Aergility worked on detailed internal structural designs to ensure the Gen 3’s ability to handle loads, vibrations, bending moments and other forces. At the same time, it developed a network of consultants, contractors and suppliers, many of whom were selected for their ability to custom-design high-end components for the ATLIS’ unique flight behaviours and configuration; Aergility notes that the rotors, airframe, flight controller and ESCs were among the most important. Considerable airframe optimisation was performed by Airboss Aviation Group, which Yonge notes provided structural design and analyses for ensuring that the hull pieces and materials met all the safety margins for loadings. Composites Universal Group (CUG) began building that design in October 2021, which concluded in April 2022. “CUG has great experience and success in realising unconventional aircraft designs, even in the new eVTOL world,” Yonge says. “They built the Airbus Vahana, and the Archer Aviation prototypes, for example. “Meanwhile, on the avionics side of things, we’d used open-source Pixhawk controllers in the Gen 1 and Gen 2, but we’ve since looked to Embention for our professional-grade autopilot, and Advanced Power Drives [APD] to design and make the ESCs we need.” Vander Mey adds, “Being based in Florida, we have access to great people for aerospace engineering and consulting, but if you want best-in- class expertise or aircraft subsystems, you’ll rarely find them all next door. For example, we engaged Aerospace Control Dynamics to ensure the theoretical basis and practical robustness of our flight control algorithms. For our UAV to offer the desired level of efficiency and performance, we’ve sourced consulting engineers and vendors from across America, Europe, Asia and Australia.” In addition to its main investor and future customer, Aergility sees three primary uses for the ATLIS. The first is humanitarian aid, which is currently delivered by dangerous and uneconomical means such as crewed helicopters and RIBs, and where the December/January 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology The cargo bay is designed for VDA 4500 standard containers optionally loaded on a 1200 x 800 mm EURO pallet; two EURO pallets or four of the standard’s 800 x 600 mm containers will fit end to end inside