USAF Takes Delivery Of First Batch Of Pivotal Blackfly Aircraft While the Pivotal Helix is aimed at the personal market it has received the attention from the United States Air Force (USAF). In fact the USAF has procured 4 examples of the craft which were recently delivered to them. On the personal end of the spectrum, a customer can spend $190,000 and have foundational training and then be off flying with their new craft.
As it relates to the USAF, they are going to be using the craft for evaluation. Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI) and AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, are collaborating in 'Agility Prime', a division of AFWERX dedicated to vertical lift technologies. "AFWERX’s and MTSI’s decision to partner with Pivotal is a strong endorsement of our platform’s maturity and a milestone on our journey to mission relevance," said Ken Karklin, CEO of Pivotal.
Pivotal, MTSI, and AFWERX will be operating and testing/evaluating at the New Braunfels National Airport (KBAZ), not too far from San Antonio, Texas. Additionally they will be at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport (KSGH) in Ohio. The goal will be to see if the 'outlandish' design is a good fit for Air Force missions. The USAF program should be acquiring as many as 8 aircraft to test in different conditions to evaluating its potential usefulness. For more information: Pivotal Aero 2200 Geng Rd Ste 100, Palo Alto, CA 94303, U.S.A. www.pivotal.aero ***
