Jetoptera, Inc. announced advancing to the next phase of the AFWERX High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) Concept Challenge, a crowdsourcing effort for the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The startup company is one of 11 companies from more than 200 challenge entrants selected to receive market research investments aimed at advancing solutions that enable optimal agility in austere environments.
“We are very excited to work with Northrop Grumman and Pratt & Whitney to offer the HSVTOL Aircraft System with Adaptive Fluidic Propulsion solution to the AFWERX HSVTOL Challenge team in this collaborative, innovative process and to bring the best technologies faster to the warfighter,” Jetoptera CEO Andrei Evulet said.
The proposed FY25 demonstrators can perform vertical take-offs and landings, hover in ground and out of ground effect, transitioning using unique aerodynamics relying on the Fluidic Propulsive System (FPS). Northrop Grumman, a global aerospace leader, will help design the demonstrator’s novel airframe for range, speed, survivability, payload, and propulsor integration. The key technology enabling the FY25 performance is Jetoptera’s Adaptive Fluidic Propulsive System, which employs COTS turboshaft engines provided by Pratt & Whitney, driving newly designed air compressor/fans rated for the flows and pressure ratios required by Jetoptera’s thrusters.
Jetoptera’s solution is envisioned as part of a broader HSVTOL conceptual framework that increases the trade space of speed, range, survivability, payload, size, and flexibility to carry out USAF and USSOCOM missions across the full spectrum of conflict and political scenarios. It emerged as a top-tier entrant in the HSVTOL Concept Challenge by meeting or exceeding rigorous evaluation criteria focused on technical merit, reliability, scalability, and other factors.
“The HSVTOL Concept Challenge has surfaced an impressive range and caliber of solutions to help us understand how to build a new class of air vehicles," said Dr. Reid Melville, chief innovation officer, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Transformational Capabilities Office. "We believe the organizations selected to receive market research investments at this stage have the potential to deliver truly groundbreaking innovation."
Over the next six months, the team led by Jetoptera will further develop its HSVTOL Aircraft System with Adaptive Fluidic Propulsion solution, working closely with the USAF, USSOCOM, and Collaboration.Ai, the prime contractor facilitating the HSVTOL Concept Challenge.
