ÂÌñÏ×ÆÞ

 (South San Francisco, Calif., U.S.), a developer of autonomous aerial cargo systems for middle-mile logistics and military resupply, has selected  (San Diego, Calif., U.S.) as its exclusive U.S. manufacturing partner for the Chaparral. This new 5-year strategic manufacturing agreement is expected to accelerate high-volume production of the hybrid-electric autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo drone, which features a .

“Kratos is an established and trusted producer of military UAS and is distinctive in their manufacturing focus on affordability,” explains Elroy Air CEO Andrew Clare. “Kratos has produced and delivered thousands of uncrewed aircraft, with a well-established and reliable supply chain for these systems. Their expanded production capabilities make them the ideal partner to bring Chaparral to market at scale.”

Kratos, known for its development and production of affordable, jet-powered composite unmanned aircraft for the U.S. Department of Defense, recently expanded its manufacturing capacity to support next-gen drone production. 

Chaparral is designed to autonomously transport up to 300 pounds of cargo over 300 miles, affordably bridging critical logistics gaps for military resupply, disaster relief and commercial express delivery. The vehicle’s hybrid-electric powertrain enables rapid refueling, extra power for recharging batteries and powering payloads in cruise flight, and longer-range cargo transport than similar-sized battery-electric aircraft.

Kratos will perform initial production of Chaparral at its Sacramento, California, aircraft production facility and over time, transition to high-rate production at Kratos’ facilities in Oklahoma City. These efforts are expected to bring aerospace jobs to both regions and expand the current supply chain infrastructure that includes many other states across the U.S. The first production Chaparral aircraft are planned to be built in 2026.