Valkyrie Systems Aerospace Receives Market Research Investment

February 2, 2022, Valkyrie Systems Aerospace (VSA) today announced advancing to the next phase of the AFWERX High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) Concept Challenge, a crowdsourcing effort for the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The company is one of 11 companies from more than 200 challenge entrants selected to receive market research investments aimed at advancing solutions that enable optimal agility in austere environments.

“We are proud to be selected and have the opportunity to collaborate with USAF and USSOCOM to create game-changing technology that will positively impact our military, creating a more mission-ready and resilient fighting force.” – Glenn Dawson, Co-Founder and CEO of Valkyrie Systems Aerospace.

Valkyrie Systems Aerospace has proposed its HoverJet Guardian model, which will meet or exceed USAF USSOCOM’s needs for speed, range, survivability, cargo, hover, and the bonus of the ability to land on water. The platform has combined the capabilities of a jet and helicopter; nothing can beat the superior speed and agility of a hovering jet.

VSA’s HoverJet solution is envisioned as part of a broader HSVTOL conceptual framework that increases the trade space of speed, range, survivability, payload, size, and flexibility to carry out USAF and USSOCOM missions across the full spectrum of conflict and political scenarios. It emerged as a top-tier entrant in the HSVTOL Concept Challenge by meeting or exceeding rigorous evaluation criteria focused on technical merit, reliability, scalability, and other factors.

“The HSVTOL Concept Challenge has surfaced an impressive range and caliber of solutions to help us understand how to build a new class of air vehicles," said Dr. Reid Melville, Chief Innovation Officer, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Transformational Capabilities Office. "We believe the organizations selected to receive market research investments at this stage have the potential to deliver truly groundbreaking innovation."

Over the next six months, VSA will further develop its HoverJet solution, working closely with the USAF, USSOCOM, and Collaboration.Ai, the prime contractor facilitating the HSVTOL Concept Challenge.

About VSA

Valkyrie Systems Aerospace was founded with the mission to never leave a soldier behind, to go beyond the current tiltrotor technology, and design a generational step ahead HSVTOL platform. VSA’s HoverJet does just that with the ability to take off and land anywhere, jet-like speeds, superior range and reliability, and autonomous capabilities. It is also highly versatile with interchangeable payload modules, satisfying multiple missions. The HoverJets are a product of over 25 years of engineering, testing, and refinement, comprising seven generations of technological advancement. For more information, visit valkyrieuav.com

About AFWERX

Established in 2017, AFWERX is a product of the U.S. Air Force. It was envisioned by former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, who aimed to solve some of the toughest challenges the Air Force faces through innovation and collaboration among the nation’s top subject matter experts. AFWERX and the U.S. Air Force are committed to exploring viable solutions and partnerships to further strengthen the Air Force, which could lead to additional prototyping, R&D, and follow-on production contracts. For more information, visit afwerxchallenge.com.

About Collaboration.Ai 

Collaboration.Ai is a software and services provider based in Minneapolis, MN. The company believes new ideas, stronger human connections, and intelligent networks can lift up individuals, organizations, and communities. Using design thinking and artificial intelligence, Collaboration.Ai helps organizations drive innovation, engineer more impactful teams, augment the human networking experience, and connect the right people, at the right time, around the right ideas. For more information, visit collaboration.ai.