The U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX program has contracted with Transcend Air to develop its Vy 400 VTOL aircraft for military resupply and casualty evacuation missions. Under a small business technology transfer research and development contract, the Boston-based company will work with Auburn University to develop simplified vehicle operation (SVO) and flight control laws to allow the Vy 400 tiltwing model to operate in “nap of the earth” mode to avoid detection in hostile territory by flying just above terrain contours.
According to Transcend, the Vy 400 will fly at 405 mph, which it says makes the aircraft around two and a half times faster than helicopters currently used for the missions. Working with professor Imon Charkroborty and Auburn’s Vehicle Systems, Dynamics, and Design Laboratory, the company is seeking to develop software to allow the aircraft to fly automatically in “nap of the earth” mode with a non-pilot crew member at the controls.
