U.S. Patent Office Issues Additional Patent for Skyworks Aeronautics’ Precision Airdrop System

The Skyworks Aeronautics PAS allows for precise delivery of humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

CHICAGO, IL, U.S.A., November 21, 2023 — Skyworks Aeronautics Corp. has just been notified of the issuance of an additional patent by the U.S. Patent Office for its Precision Airdrop System (the “PAS”). The PAS consists of an airborne vehicle that is capable of delivering a payload to a precise location after being launched from a parent aircraft some distance away.

Gentle and Precise Payload Delivery

In essence, the PAS is a delivery vehicle that transforms from a stowed configuration initially to an unpowered, fixed wing glider after being dropped from a parent aircraft, and, as the target drop region is reached, the fixed wings are folded or jettisoned and unpowered rotor blades are deployed converting the PAS into a glider rotorcraft in the terminal phase of flight. It provides a gentle, precision payload delivery within a radius of 3 meters or less. The size of the delivery is extremely flexible and can be scaled for small, medium, or large payloads.

The PAS is ideal for a range of missions, but it is particularly well-suited for humanitarian assistance. In many disaster relief scenarios, there is an urgent need for supplies but little to no available infrastructure to support aircraft cargo deliveries. Aid being delivered by parachute can experience significant wind drift and be blown long distances from the intended target. Unlike aircraft cargo and parachutes, the PAS doesn’t require infrastructure and uses wind speed and direction to make real-time flight adjustments to maintain precise landing accuracy.

Reducing Risk

The PAS has the additional advantage of reducing risks when delivering supplies in hostile or contested environments. Normally, when dropping supplies from an airplane, the aircraft must be positioned directly over the target area. The PAS involves a fixed-wing glider in the delivery, providing an opportunity for significant standoff distance. In other words, it can glide a great distance before effectively dropping itself by launching the rotor to act as the parachute, which reduces risk without reducing the accuracy of the cargo delivery.

This is especially important in areas requiring relief aid that fall under airspace restrictions. Sometimes, an airplane is not allowed to fly over a certain location or through the airspace of a country to which it needs to deliver supplies. In these cases, if they had our PAS, the airplane could fly right up to the border of the restricted airspace and drop the PAS from a high altitude. Then, the PAS would travel the rest of the way using our fixed-wing glider, landing right in front of the house to which aid needed to be delivered.

Efficient Solutions

The PAS also supports more efficient cargo deliveries to rural areas without the need for the hub-and-spoke multi-airport logistics approach, which is normally applied in today’s cargo deliveries. The large cargo planes are unable to land at the destination warehouse of every package, and must instead fly to a hub at a large airport before delivery. With the PAS, a large cargo plane would not have to land to deliver packages to destination warehouses. This allows for point-to-point delivery, which is much more efficient than the traditional hub-and-spoke approach.

Skyworks’ PAS Advantages

In summary, our Precision Airdrop System offers the following advantages over current technology:

• A glide stage to the target
• Auto-rotation to ensure a precise landing
• Capable of standoff distance deliveries
• Lightweight system
• Variable launch altitudes
• Point-to-point cargo delivery

“In a world where access, accuracy, and affordability are the coin of the realm, Skyworks Precision Airdrop System (PAS) stands as a beacon of innovation, offering a straightforward and effective solution to those seeking to bridge the gap between planning aspiration and efficient execution,” stated Skyworks Aeronautics Co-Founder and CEO, Brig. Gen. (Ret) John Michel.

“The Precision Airdrop System offers pin-point landings with a substantial stand-off range in cases where the intervening distance may be difficult to traverse” added Skyworks Aeronautics Director, Jack Carter.

About Skyworks Aeronautics

Skyworks Aeronautics is the world leader in the science and technology of gyronautics, focusing on the design and development of high-performance gyroplanes. Skyworks gyroplanes provide more affordable, safer, and higher performance alternatives for runway-independent aircraft.

Skyworks has more than 45 patents with several more underway, all obtained in an effort to radically change not only the way gyroplanes are perceived, but also the way they are utilized. From mass personnel transportation, agriculture, defense, police and border protection to changing the economies of developing nations, Skyworks’ goal is to change the nature of vertical flight. For more information about the company, its products, and individual members of the Skyworks team, visit www.skyworks–aero.com.

Skyworks Aeronautics Corp.

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