The Aerovel Flexrotor is a long-endurance Group 2 VTOL tail-sitter unmanned aircraft (now part of AeroVironment), capable of vertical takeoff/landing from a small area including ships. It transitions to efficient horizontal wing-borne flight for endurance exceeding 30 hours.
| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Subcategory | VTOL / Hybrid |
| Subtype | VTOL tail-sitter tactical UAS |
| Role | Maritime/land ISR |
| Class | Group 2 |
| Classification | Group 2 STUAS (small tactical UAS) |
| Mission | ISR, Maritime surveillance, Reconnaissance, Inspection |
| Datalink | Radio data link (~120 km comms range); SATCOM optional |
| Variants | Flexrotor |
| MTOW (kg) | 25 |
| Operators | U.S. Navy (evaluation); Philippine Navy |
| Frame type | Tailsitter |
| Length (m) | 2 |
| Propulsion | Single piston engine (heavy-fuel/gasoline), single rotor |
| Range (km) | 2037 |
| Wingspan (m) | 3 |
| Combat-proven | No |
| Export status | Exported to allied nations |
| Launch method | VTOL (vertical takeoff) |
| Autonomy level | Highly autonomous (autonomous after takeoff) |
| Endurance (min) | 1980 |
| Recovery method | VTOL (vertical landing) |
| Year introduced | 2010 |
| Max payload (kg) | 7.7 |
| Max speed (km/h) | 180 |
| Standard sensors | EO/IR gimbal, AIS, Optional SAR/radar |
| Production status | In production |
| Airframe / lift type | VTOL hybrid – tailsitter |
| Control / autonomy level | Fully autonomous (human-off-the-loop, AI-navigated), RC line-of-sight – BVLOS |
| Domain | Aerial (UAV/UAS) |
| Mission / use case – civil | Inspection |
| Mission / use case – military | ISR |
| Origin / supply chain | Military-grade |
| Propulsion | ICE – heavy fuel |
| Range / endurance | Long endurance (>24 hrs) |
| Signature / detectability | RCS – small, RF-emitting |
| Speed regime | High (150–400 km/h) |
| Threat vector | Surveillance / reconnaissance |
| Weight / class | Class I – Small (20–150 kg), FAA >25 kg (Part 137 / waiver) |