Silent Arrow Contested Logistics System with 200 Nautical Mile Range (CLS-200)

The objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate an expendable system capable of being airdropped and delivering a 20 lbs. payload, 200 nautical miles from the drop, which can be procured at low cost.  To succeed in this objective, we will rely on the foundational engineering and feasibility already demonstrated in our currently flying and successful Silent Arrow® Precision Guided Bundle (SA-PGB) as well as the Silent Arrow® GD-2000 (“Glider, Disposable, 2000 lbs.”) airframes and adapt and combine these proven, low-cost, cargo delivery glider technologies with the addition of a high-reliability, low-cost propulsion system.  The resulting new cargo delivery UAS platform that we will demonstrate via actual full-scale flights under this proposal will be the Silent Arrow® CLS-200 (“Contested Logistics System – 200 Nautical Miles”).   The Silent Arrow team has a proven history of innovative flight test success under austere time and budgetary constraints in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and HQ AFSOC, via IRAD funded development efforts, and with other commercial partners and customers to include Airbus, who handles sales and support of the Silent Arrow GD-2000 for all EU countries.  The commercially successful Silent Arrow GD-2000 was developed mostly with IRAD and non-US Defense funding and is now entering full rate production as the world’s first expendable airdropped cargo delivery glider that carries 1,500 pounds of payload.  Conversely, the SA-PGB, which is a 500 pound, side-door deployed, expendable cargo glider, was developed through an AFWERX SBIR I and SBIR II process, with 10 successful full-scale flights to date and 5 more scheduled for Q1 2024 in partnership with AFRL, HQ AFSOC and the 353rd SOW.   By combining proven elements of both the GD-2000 and SA-PGB airframes and developing and integrating the proposed low-cost propulsion system under this proposal, we are able to substantially risk-reduce the project while focusing mainly on the unique elements of these requirements and CONOPS under the 18 month POP and within the budgetary limits.   The above objectives will be accomplished in this Direct to Phase II project by conducting aerodynamic and trade off analysis of the proposed airframe design through digital modeling, developing a complete set of performance specifications in partnership with the AFSOC Customer and Special Operations End-User, developing a drawing package and constructing an engine test stand and propeller speed reduction unit (PSRU), acquiring a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) internal combustion engine and propeller and conducting thrust and endurance testing of the proposed propulsion unit on a static test stand.  The propulsion unit will then be integrated into the new airframe and 5 flying, full-scale test articles will be built and flown to validate the payload and range performance via airdrop and ground launch in FAA airspace at our flight test facility in Pendleton, Oregon.