Bristow expands Chaparral drone reservations to 15 total units

Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: VTOL) has expanded its early delivery reservations for Elroy Air's Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft, adding 10 positions to bring its total to 15 reserved slots, according to a press release from Elroy Air.

Bristow previously held five early delivery positions and had signed a pre-order agreement for up to 100 Chaparral aircraft. The expansion follows autonomous, uncrewed flight demonstrations conducted in Houma, Louisiana, as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's and U.S. Department of Transportation's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.

"Seeing Chaparral in action during the recent demonstration activities in Louisiana gave us an opportunity to explore how it could support a range of transportation and logistics missions," said David Stepanek, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Bristow Group. "We see potential applications across commercial, government services, and special mission operations."

The Chaparral is an uncrewed, autonomous vertical takeoff and landing aircraft capable of carrying more than 500 pounds of cargo. It uses a hybrid-electric powertrain with a stated range of up to 450 miles and requires no runways or charging infrastructure. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is the exclusive U.S. manufacturer of the aircraft and plans to produce it at a Sacramento, California facility, with the first production aircraft targeted for late 2026.

Elroy Air has also entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VII (Nasdaq: IPXG), a special purpose acquisition company, through which Elroy Air would become a publicly traded company. The transaction is subject to shareholder approval and regulatory review.

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