DARPA Unveils New Hybrid Propulsion for VTOL Aircraft, Paving the Way for Advanced Uncrewed Systems

“The goal of ANCILLARY is to increase small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aerial system (UAS) capabilities by a factor of three over the current state-of-the-art flying today,” said Steve Komadina, DARPA program manager for ANCILLARY. “Our performers are searching for innovative ways to increase payload weight and range/endurance of small, ship-launched UAS by means of novel configurations, propulsion, and controls while also removing the need for special infrastructure.”