Israel Aerospace, Aerorotor Unmanned Systems Forge Partnership to Develop Tactical Drone System

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Aerorotor Unmanned Systems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly develop drone systems tailored for tactical military missions.

The collaboration aims to harness Aerorotor's Apus multicopter technology, known for its unique configuration featuring a central heavy-fuel propulsion system piloted through a variable-pitch mechanism.

Under the terms of the agreement, the partnership will focus on engineering development and marketing initiatives to enhance the capabilities of the Apus multicopter. This includes optimizing its performance for various tactical military operations on land, at sea, and in the air.

In October 2022, Israel’s defense ministry and Aerorotor began jointly developing petrol-engine quadcopter UAVs to lift heavier loads. Aerotor has already developed Apus 15 and Apus 50.

In contrast to the usual multirotor UAVs that have electric motors for each rotor, enabling them to independently change their revolutions per minute (RPMs) for maneuvers, the Apus concept uses a central petrol engine that powers four rotors that change their angle, not their RPM.

While the endurance and payload of electrically powered UAVs decrease with size as they require heavier batteries, performance improves with larger petrol engines as the aircraft's weight decreases as it burns fuel.