Yates Electrospace Corporation (YEC) has announced the design completion and specifications of a wide-body version of its successful GD-2000 cargo delivery drone, with unveiling set for July 20-24, 2020 at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK.
Developed by YEC based on real-time demand from U.S. and allied foreign government Special Operators including the U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), the new wide-body is 60% larger than the standard Silent Arrow GD-2000, with a 140cu/ft cargo bay that accommodates five times more life-saving supplies, medicines and tactical cargo.
“The YEC engineering team used current flight data from the inaugural GD-2000 product line along with extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to optimize the aerodynamics and glide ratio of this rather massive cargo delivery platform,” said Chip Yates, YEC’s founder and CEO. “With two launch customers on hand, our accelerated schedule delivers development units by the end of March 2020 and 10 flight test units throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2020.”
- Specification highlights of the new Silent Arrow GD-2000 WB include:
- Gross Weight: 2,000lbs (907 kg)
- Cargo Weight: 1,250lbs (567 kg)
- Cargo Volume: 140cu/ft (4 cu/m)
- Glide Ratio: 7.63:1
- Standoff: 36 miles (58km)
- Logistics: 48ft wingspan (4 spring-deployed wings) stowed in 3.5ft x 3.5ft x 13ft fuselage
A full scale, flight-ready Silent Arrow GD-2000 cargo delivery drone was unveiled on September 10-13, 2019 at the Defense & Security Equipment International (DSEI) show in London, co-hosted by The MEL Group, whose Silent Arrow contract manufacturing license has been extended to include serial production of the GD-2000 WB, and who will support YEC at Farnborough 2020.
Designed for immediate air response and emergency relief, Silent Arrow’s tightly integrated packaging with its unique spring-deployed wing system transported inside the fuselage, high standoff distance and low cost has received enthusiastic reception from both the tactical resupply and the humanitarian / disaster relief markets. Silent Arrow is designed for fixed-wing and rotorcraft deployment of critically needed supplies, cargo and fuel under austere operating conditions and timelines.
Silent Arrow was named one of six “Unmanned Cargo Aircraft to Watch” by Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine in their Aerospace & Defense 2020 issue.
Source: Press Release