AFWERX, the Innovation Arm of the U.S. Air Force, Awards Phase II STTR Contract to Transcend Air
21.6.2022 14:03:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Transcend Air announced today that it was awarded a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer research and development contract from AFWERX, a Technology Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Transcend Air, in partnership with Auburn University, will further develop advanced flight control laws for high-speed flight with its Vy 400 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL). “Specifically, the high speed flight is referred to as nap-of-the-earth (NOE) flight, which is a demanding regime where an aircraft stays low and follows the contours of terrain to remain undetected,” commented Peter Schmidt, COO of Transcend Air and Principal Investigator.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220621005201/en/
Advanced flight control laws developed in simulation (Photo: Business Wire)
Transcend Air is extending its work with Professor Imon Chakraborty and his Vehicle Systems, Dynamics, and Design Laboratory (VSDDL.com) and newly teaming with Professor Ehsan Taheri and his Aero-Astro Computational and Experimental Lab (ACE Lab). Control software will be demonstrated that enables the Vy 400 aircraft to automatically fly nap-of-the-earth in both simulation and real-world flight with 1/5th scale aircraft. The software reduces pilot workload and enables sustained flight in very close proximity to terrain at speeds two to three times faster than helicopters. This capability facilitates the mission of rescuing downed aircrews in one-quarter to one-eighth of the time it currently takes. With that improvement it is projected that nearly double the number of people can be rescued as before.
AFWERX is an arm of the United States Air Force that supports aircraft technology development for commercial and military purposes. VSDDL and ACE Lab are part of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.
ABOUT TRANSCEND AIR CORPORATION
Transcend Air has designed a family of high speed tiltwing VTOL aircraft. Its Vy 400 is three times faster than helicopters with half the operating costs. Expectations are that the Vy 400 will dominate the VIP transport helicopter segment. It will also enable a new city-center to city-center Aerial Regional Transport service that is up to five times faster door to door, and lower cost as compared with current air travel options. Since 2009, Transcend Air has built and flown 15 prototype VTOL aircraft, giving their patented Vy a long lineage of real-world experience. The Vy 400 will not require new regulatory regimes or air traffic control systems because it utilizes proven technologies that include the General Electric CT7-8 engine and BRS Aerospace whole-aircraft parachute. The Vy 400 brings with it the promise of civil VTOL flight that is within everyone’s reach.
For additional information see www.Transcend.aero
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220621005201/en/
Contact information
Peter Schmidt, peter@transcend.aero
t. 781-883-4818
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Vertex Energy Announces 6,000 bpd Group III Base Oil Expansion Project24.6.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Vertex Energy, Inc. (“Vertex” or the “Company”) today announced it is advancing a project at its Mobile, Alabama refinery to produce crude-derived conventional Group III base oils through the Company’s existing hydrocracker and related processing infrastructure, providing lubricant manufacturers and blenders with an additional domestic source of high-quality Group III supply. The project is designed to add an incremental 6,000 barrels per day of conventional Group III production capacity and support production of 4 cSt, 6 cSt, and 8 cSt Group III base oils using an existing crude-derived hydrocracked vacuum gas oil stream produced at the Company’s Mobile, Alabama refinery. Combined with the Company’s existing re-refined Group III base oil production, this additional capacity is expected to make Vertex the leading Group III producer in North America. Vertex has completed preliminary design work and has procured a high-pressure lubricants hydrotreating unit. The Company plans to start pr
Taktile Secures $110M in Goldman Sachs-led Series C to Power AI Transformation in Financial Institutions24.6.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Taktile, the leader in AI transformation for financial institutions, today announced its $110 million Series C fundraise. Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives led the round, with participation from Balderton Capital, Index Ventures, Tiger Global, Y Combinator, and Dig Ventures. Taktile Fast Facts Taktile enables banks and insurers to transform into AI-native organizations that are increasingly powered by autonomous agents. Demand for Taktile accelerated in 2025, as AI models became capable of automating high-stakes decisions that previously required hours of manual work—from underwriting business loans and assessing claims to catching financial crime. Customers automate and optimize decisions with Taktile by combining its financial services expertise and product built for sector-specific AI use cases. One of the world’s largest insurers is running multiple use cases on Taktile, with projected cost efficiencies of over $90M in claims processing alone. Taktile’s team has a proven
New MetLife Study Reveals a 72% “Confidence Gap” in Ability to Recover from Life's Setbacks24.6.2026 16:25:00 EEST | Press release
A new multinational study from MetLife reveals a striking “confidence gap”: while most adults describe themselves as resilient, their confidence drops by 72% when faced with real-life setbacks. The Confident Pathways Report, conducted across the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Mexico, was designed to better understand how confidence is built and sustained throughout life. The findings underscore the role of opportunity, preparedness, and support in building confidence - factors that help people navigate uncertainty, recover from setbacks and pursue their goals. At a time when soccer is bringing people and communities together around the world, the findings also highlight how early childhood experiences such as sports, education, and mentorship can help foster resilience and gain confidence from a young age. Key findings across the four countries surveyed include: Confidence drops by 72% when adults consider their ability to recover from setbacks. Respondents were far more lik
StatLab Launches CytoPath Disc, Advancing Standardized Cell Block Preparation Worldwide24.6.2026 16:08:00 EEST | Press release
StatLab Medical Products, a leading global developer and manufacturer of pathology supplies and equipment, today announced the global launch of the CytoPath Disc, an innovative cell block preparation technology designed to standardize and simplify cell block preparation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260624368623/en/ Developed as an alternative to traditional cell block methods, which convert concentrated cells suspended in fluid into a paraffin-embedded format for slide-based evaluation, the patent‑pending CytoPath Disc offers a more streamlined and efficient approach. The CytoPath Disc absorbs concentrated cells within a simple, sponge-like matrix, which is then processed, embedded, stained, and sectioned using standard histology workflows. Traditional cell block preparation methods often present challenges in achieving consistent results due to complex procedures, as well as the need for additional equipm
TensorX Launches With €8M Seed Funding Round Led by Darius Cubed Ventures for Bet on European Sovereign AI Infrastructure With Plans to Deploy up to €100M in NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs24.6.2026 16:07:00 EEST | Press release
A team of Irish founders has committed €8 million to Nvidia Blackwell GPUs, including the latest B300 chips, to launch TensorX, a sovereign AI inference platform designed for Europe's AI builders, trusted by regulated industries and already generating revenue from paying customers. The company was founded by Shane Morton, is part of the NVIDIA Inception program and is partnering with Dell on sourcing GPU hardware. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528791384/en/ (From left to right): Craig Donnelly, Shane Morton, Nicole Morton, Tim Grant At a time when enterprises are racing to adopt artificial intelligence but most remain unwilling to let their data leave European jurisdiction, TensorX offers high-performance inference with zero data retention, running entirely on dedicated hardware in Dublin and Helsinki. TensorX is also in advanced talks around a financing facility to further expand its European footprint,
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom