USAF Awards Jetoptera Phase II STTR contract

EDMONDS, Wash., May 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The USAF has awarded Jetoptera, Inc. a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) contract. Jetoptera will perform a wind tunnel testing campaign of a concept High-Speed Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft that the company has refined after examining the results of recently collected test data. The Upper Surface Blown Wing (USB) equipped powered high-lift model to be built and tested under the newly awarded contract will

model the operation of Jetoptera’s “3-in-1” Adaptive Fluidic Propulsive System (FPS™). The patent pending system enables an aircraft to take off vertically and transition smoothly to wingborne flight using FPS™ +USB powered by a turbocompressor, then accelerate the aircraft to jet speeds in a third mode using the compressor as turbofan. Jetoptera will use the experimental data collected to refine the ongoing design through dimensional analysis, using flow similarity principles and experimental validation of the integration of the Adaptive FPS™ to the VTOL capable airframe. This award builds upon the success of two previous Phase I STTR contract awards as well as a Direct to Phase II SBIR contract award from the USAF. Lift and thrust augmentation will now be directly measured using a subscale aircraft model that integrates FPS™ and USB elements.

The Phase II STTR program will be conducted by teaming with the University of Washington; in 2021, in a Phase I STTR program with UW, Jetoptera obtained experimental evidence that FPS™ can be adapted to provide high-efficiency thrust and lift augmentation to a wing, enabling an aircraft to take off vertically and transition smoothly to wingborne flight.

Jetoptera’s continuous development programs deliver positive results that indicate the FPS™ will surpass the capabilities of legacy propulsion methods while being safer, quieter, and able to achieve far higher speeds than propellers or rotor driven aircraft.

AFRL and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants, and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in SBIR 21.1, the Air Force has begun offering ‘The Open Topic’ SBIR/STTR program that is faster, leaner and open to a broader range of innovations.

The period of performance for this Phase II STTR Contract is twelve months.

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