Timothy Whitehand
Vice President of Engineering
PteroDynamics Inc. is an innovation leader in autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft systems. We designed our revolutionary Transwing® VTOL unmanned aerial system (UAS) to overcome tradeoffs between VTOL performance and range, speed, endurance inherent in traditional VTOL designs.
Crewed resupply, logistics, and ISR missions to remote locations at land or sea are expensive and capital-intensive. Automating them requires a VTOL aircraft with outstanding stability and gust tolerance in harsh conditions – plus the speed, endurance, and efficient payload capacity to get critical cargo to hard-to-reach locations.
The Transwing VTOL UAS marries the speed, range, and endurance of a great fixed-wing aircraft with superb VTOL performance so it can fly faster and go farther to reach remote locations without runways – even in austere conditions like those at sea. Its wings fold to transition seamlessly between configurations optimized for vertical and winged horizontal flight. With wings folded during VTOL flight, the Transwing possesses a high degree of stability and gust tolerance. It unfolds its wings to transition quickly between thrust-borne and wing-borne flight, remaining controllable through climbing, descending, and turning transitions.
The Transwing’s elegant, energy-efficient design makes it uniquely capable of automating on-time delivery of high-value payloads to difficult-to-reach areas with little or no infrastructure. Winged flight uses the same propulsors as VTOL mode for optimal efficiency and minimal drag. The Transwing requires no launch and recovery equipment, and its small footprint and integrated landing gear make for rapid deployment and easy storage.
Crewed resupply, logistics, and ISR missions to remote locations at land or sea are expensive and capital-intensive. Automating them requires a VTOL aircraft with outstanding stability and gust tolerance in harsh conditions – plus the speed, endurance, and efficient payload capacity to get critical cargo to hard-to-reach locations.
The Transwing VTOL UAS marries the speed, range, and endurance of a great fixed-wing aircraft with superb VTOL performance so it can fly faster and go farther to reach remote locations without runways – even in austere conditions like those at sea. Its wings fold to transition seamlessly between configurations optimized for vertical and winged horizontal flight. With wings folded during VTOL flight, the Transwing possesses a high degree of stability and gust tolerance. It unfolds its wings to transition quickly between thrust-borne and wing-borne flight, remaining controllable through climbing, descending, and turning transitions.
The Transwing’s elegant, energy-efficient design makes it uniquely capable of automating on-time delivery of high-value payloads to difficult-to-reach areas with little or no infrastructure. Winged flight uses the same propulsors as VTOL mode for optimal efficiency and minimal drag. The Transwing requires no launch and recovery equipment, and its small footprint and integrated landing gear make for rapid deployment and easy storage.
