This new advanced MTR VTOL aircraft has the Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities of a helicopter with the horizontal speed and payload of a traditional jet airplane which enable on-demand and point-to-point high speed transportation services for Commercial and Military purposes while reducing capital and operating expenses. The AeroCopter VTOL PAV (Sarus) and VTOL UAV (Kestrel) uses a four-twisted blade, a MTR (ring), a fuselage which is encircled by the vehicle’s ring and one unified propulsion system which provides a power source during hover and flight modes. During take-off and landing flight operation, the ring lies horizontally and provides downward thrust to enable vertical take-off and landing. Once the vehicle has reached an altitude of 1,000 feet, the ring rotates gradually to an angle of 87 degrees and locked to propel the aircraft forwards. Sarus aircraft is capable of carrying 2-8 passengers and their baggage, while Kestrel aircraft is capable of carrying up to 400 lbs of food, supplies, and or weaponry systems. Sarus and Kestrel have an estimated total gross weight of 2900 lbs and length (diameter) of 27 ft, allowing a cruise speed in excess of 220 knots at 8,000 feet and range of 300 nautical miles on one tank of fuel. The company is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and was founded in 2000 and backed by YAS Ventures LLC.
(Images above show the Kestral UAV + Sarus PAV, courtesy AeroCopter)