Phoenix was our aircraft for the 2021 UAS Challenge, where the team won the Most Promising Team Award. It takes off and lands vertically and cruises on its wing.
The mission
Carry a relief payload somewhere without a usable runway: climb vertically, switch to forward flight and cover the distance on the wing, which is much more efficient.
Specs
- 1,400 × 2,000 × 180 mm (length × width × height)
- Five propellers in a hybrid VTOL layout
- 2.5 kg lithium-ion battery
A remote year
Most of that competition year happened remotely. What the team learned about Phoenix’s propulsion and airframe went straight into the next aircraft.