AIR partners with Elmo for cargo drone

AIR VEV Inc. announced a strategic partnership with Elmo Motion Control Ltd. last week. Elmo will integrate its high-performance motion control system into AIR's Heavy Lift uncrewed aerial system (UAS).

Elmo's compact, high-power density Gold HV servo drives will power the eight electric propulsion motors on the AIR 120D, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) cargo drone. AIR CEO Rani Plaut told The Robot Report that the selection was based on performance, power density, weight, efficiency, and system-level integration capabilities.

"For an electric aircraft, every gram matters," Plaut said. He described the broader effort to find technologies that improve performance without adding unnecessary weight.

Elmo technology enables air cooling

The integration of Elmo's drive system will enable an air-cooled operation. This eliminates the need for complex liquid cooling systems.

Removing the liquid-cooling loop reduces system weight, packaging requirements, and overall complexity. Plaut explained that in an aircraft, this weight reduction can be directly translated into additional useful payload or performance margin. The result is a more compact and efficient propulsion system for the AIR 120D.

AIR designs dual-use drones

Based in Auburndale, Florida, AIR's uncrewed cargo aircraft has a payload capacity of 550 pounds (249.4 kilograms) and a one-hour flight endurance. The U.S. Department of War categorizes it as a Group 4 UAS.

The AIR 120D's dual-use architecture is designed to service multiple industry needs. These include flexible logistics, mid-mile delivery, maritime resupply, and rapid aid deployments.

Integration of the Elmo Gold HV motor drives is already underway as part of the AIR 120D development program. Plaut stated the priority is to fully validate the technology against AIR's performance, safety, and operational requirements before moving to the next deployment phase.

Over 25 units of AIR's Heavy Lift drones have been ordered and paid for to date. This announcement follows recent partnerships by AIR, including one with Dynon Avionics.

Customers can expect capability improvements

Once integration is finished, customers should see the biggest impacts in mission capability. Reducing propulsion system weight and complexity allows the aircraft to dedicate more available weight to useful payload.

This could translate into greater flexibility for defense logistics, commercial cargo operations, or humanitarian missions. The air-cooled architecture also has the potential to simplify maintenance requirements by removing a more complex liquid-cooling system.

Plaut said AIR views the relationship with Elmo as strategic rather than simply a component-level supplier relationship. The initial focus is on the AIR 120D Heavy Lift UAS, but the company is interested in future collaborations to optimize propulsion performance and explore additional applications across its autonomous aircraft portfolio.