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Chaparral C1
Elroy Air
Not yet assessed
- Height
- —
- Payload
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- Verified autonomy
- not assessed
- Real deployment
- not assessed
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Chaparral C1
Elroy AirThe Chaparral C1 is a hybrid-electric VTOL cargo drone developed by Elroy Air (San Francisco, CA, founded 2016) designed for autonomous middle-mile logistics. It features a high-wing configuration with 12 electric motors (8 VTOL, 4 forward-flight), carries 300–500 lbs of cargo up to ~300 miles, and has demonstrated autonomous transition flights at 70 mph and a first A-to-B cargo delivery of 213 lbs in December 2025. The system is in pre-production prototype stage (C-1), with manufacturing partnerships established with Kratos (U.S.) and Barq Group (Abu Dhabi), and has been selected for the USDOT eVTOL Integration Pilot Program with operations targeted for 2026. Note: several extracted facts (SLAM LiDAR scanner, robotic pool cleaner, ultrasonic cutter) appear to be from unrelated products and are excluded from this synthesis as they do not pertain to the Chaparral C1.
Availability
Specification
- payload capacity
- 300–500 lbs (136–227 kg); 300 lbs cited in some official/news sources
- range
- ~300 miles (483 km)
- tested speed
- 70 mph (maximum demonstrated in test flights, July–August 2025)
- target maximum speed
- 143 mph (design target, not yet demonstrated)
- onboard electrical power export
- Up to 50 kW spare onboard electrical power during flight
- power efficiency
- Up to 4x less power in forward cruise vs. vertical takeoff
Price
No public price — contact the supplier for a quote.
Good · Bad · Ugly
Evidence-graded claims from the Elroy Air deep report
Chaparral C1 has a 500 lb (230 kg) payload capacity and 300-mile (480 km) range
Wikipedia cites the 500 lb payload and 300-mile range as figures announced at the January 2022 pre-production unveiling [8], but these are vendor-stated specifications with no independent third-party flight test verification reported in the dossier.
from Elroy Air deep report →The Chaparral C1 has achieved autonomous VTOL-to-forward-flight transitions and 70 mph forward flight
Official news sources and Forbes [9] confirm these milestones, and Yuma Proving Ground test flights in August 2024 are independently noted [9], but the specific transition count (3 times) and 70 mph speed figure originate from company-controlled communications with no independent instrumented verification cited.
from Elroy Air deep report →The Chaparral C1 has completed a first point-A-to-point-B autonomous cargo delivery
Forbes [9] and official news [3] reference this milestone, but it was conducted under supervised test conditions at a controlled military proving ground, not in commercial operations, and no independent observer or customer has verified the delivery outcome.
from Elroy Air deep report →Elroy Air is targeting commercial operations in 2026 under the USDOT eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)
Yahoo Finance [12] confirms Elroy Air's selection for the USDOT eIPP with a 2026 operations target, which is an independent government-program reference, but the system remains pre-commercial as of early 2025 [9] and achieving FAA certification and commercial readiness by 2026 is unverified.
from Elroy Air deep report →Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is Elroy Air's exclusive U.S. manufacturing partner under a 5-year agreement
The partnership is confirmed by official Elroy Air news [3] and corroborated by news sources [10], but the agreement details (exclusivity, 5-year term, production volumes) are sourced from company announcements with no independent reporting on actual manufacturing output or deliverables to date.
from Elroy Air deep report →Elroy Air formed a $200M joint venture with Barq Group to build a manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi
The joint venture is confirmed by official news [3], EquityZen [6], and multiple commerce sources, but the $200M figure and facility construction progress are unverified by any independent financial or regulatory filing, and no third-party reporting on operational milestones for this JV exists in the dossier.
from Elroy Air deep report →
About the company
Editorial directory of real robot products from leading global manufacturers. Each entry links to the manufacturer's official page.