Skills Applied: Vehicle Design (Sketching & CAD (Rhino3d, SW)), Contractor Management, Team management, Rendering (Keyshot, Unreal), Concept of Operations Design, Composites Design
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Process Outline
Product Mission
User Groups
Inspiration Boards
Chaparral Prototypes / Test Articles
Chaparral
Product Mission
Develop an aerial vehicle capable of autonomously servicing defense, commercial, and humanitarian communities that have limited access to runways and roadways.
Keeping in mind that requirements will mature during the years of development to come, the team locked in an initial set of requirements (high-priority features listed below). Conversations with customers, industry experts, and insights from historic aviation, allowed the team to setup a list of milestones to hit that would pair with the venture-backed financial schedule the company was on.
300 miles
300 lbs
VTOL
Hybrid
Autonomous
Operating RangePayload Capacity
Cardboard Mockup
Full-scale vehicle made from cardboard, plywood, and frabric.
2018
Tethered Hover
The “Aluminum Falcon” was the first vehicle in the Chaparral workstream to take flight. We utilized staging equipment and RC heli gearboxes to demonstrate flight.
2018
Ground Autonomy Robot
The “Carbon Crawler” was developed to define how the aircraft would autonomously pick-up and deposit cargo pods at unmanned facilities.
2019
Hover Prototype
Full-scale hovering prototype built to test the electrical powertrain of the Chaparral.
2020
The Production OML Chaparral was designed through a highly detailed process of CFD, requirements solidification, trade studies, and on-brand styling. It is a culmination of the work of industrial designers, aerospace engineers, composites specialist, and powertrain representatives. Design of the production Chaparral took nearly 1 but was only possible because of the long list of prototypes that came before it.
Unmanned Flight
Using onboard GPS, Lidar sensing, and a host of important telemetry, Chaparral can fly autonomously from destination to destination.
5min Setup
Chaparral was designed for rapid logistics. The airframe can broken down and set up in 5 minutes by 3 trained technicians. Fitting into a 40ft container and C-130 aircraft was also a driving requirement.
Modularity
In express logistics, efficiency is king. A unique feature of Chaparral is it’s capability to fit countless payloads and run numerous mission types ranging from cargo resupply to agricultural watering.
Ground Autonomy
In addition to autonomous flight, Chaparral has powered taxi wheels allowing it to center itself over staged payloads and be fully self sufficient in the field.
Humanitarian Operations
Deliver supplies to communities in need. In the event of a disaster that has broken down all roads and runways, Chaparral can land vertically on a 30’ x 30’ patch of land to delivery necessary goods.
Commercial Operations
Express logistics for hard-to-reach areas is using outdated technology. Chaparral’s 300-mile range and 300 lb payload capacity can replace these truck routes and bring prime businesses more income.
Defense Operations
Cargo resupply in contested logistics is currently using manned helicopters. With Chaparrals flight autonomy, soldiers can receive food, ammunition and shelter without putting lives at risk.
