Silent Arrow has clinched a $1.8-million Direct to Phase II SBIR contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build and test six CLS-200 drones.
The CLS-200 is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) known as a Contested Logistics System designed to carry 500 pounds (227 kilograms) over 200 nautical miles (230 miles/370 kilometers).
“We’d like to thank the US Air Force, AFRL and our Air Force Customer and End-User organizations for expanding Silent Arrow’s warfighter offerings by awarding this competitive Direct to Phase II,” said company Founder and CEO Chip Yates.
“The flight testing at our Pendleton, Oregon facility will be exciting as we longline airdrop 5 units from our UH-1H rotorcraft and then deliver a 6th unit to the Air Force for their hands-on evaluation.”
The CLS-200
The CLS-200 builds upon the company’s GD-2000 heavy payload, autonomous, and attritable cargo delivery drone.
However, it can travel six times farther through its innovative and cost-efficient propulsion and propeller system.
Those components enable the UAS to be effective for one-time use.
The CLS-200 shares similarities with the CLS-300, which began flight tests last month. It includes features such as being air-droppable and being able to take off from various ground launch points like unimproved surfaces and naval vessels.
GD-2000 Collaboration
Since the success of the GD-2000, it has been mass-produced by Silent Arrow’s manufacturing partner MEL Group in compliance with AS9100 standards in the UK.
Meanwhile, Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH is responsible for the distribution and support of the heavy cargo delivery UAS platform in Europe.