TRANSCEND AIR CORPORATION — Department of Defense STTR Phase I: AFX20D-TCSO1

Description

Transcend Air Corporation is developing a VTOL prototype to meet a specific commercial operational objective – cost effective downtown to downtown city pair operations.  We have identified a market opportunity of $20B in the US alone for this type of service, however no current air vehicle meets the economic and performance needs of this commercial mission.  So, we are designing, testing, and building that solution.  The initial design is around a turboshaft engine as that technology is readily available, certifiable, and economical.  However, the overall drivetrain design includes a plan to update to an all-electric drivetrain in the future when that technology is truly ready.   At the same time, the USAF has several mission profiles that could benefit from VTOL aircraft, that are best suited for leveraging such a commercial development to meet their specific needs.  The commercial Vy-400 platform is designed to climb very rapidly vertically, fly horizontally very rapidly, and operate economically at ranges up to 400nm.  The two most interesting missions for such an operational profile are MEDEVAC and small unit resupply.   However, for these missions, a combination of both low altitude, high speed operation, and more automated operation are needed.  Transcend Air Corporation proposes to work with Auburn University’s Vehicle Systems, Dynamics, and Design Lab (VSDDL) to develop flight control logic for both Nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) flight planning/operation and Simplified Vehicle Operation (SVO) schemes to allow either autonomous (resupply) or operation by non-pilots (such as combat medics) to support these unique military mission profiles while leveraging the parallel commercial development of the VTOL platform.