Airbus – Flexrotor

Flexrotor is a Group 2 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS) with combat proven performance on land and at sea. Compact, expeditionary, and highly autonomous, Flexrotor delivers long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for a wide range of civil and commercial applications.

With thousands of hours of flight time, Flexrotor has been deployed in a variety of challenging environments around the world and is the solution of choice for a broad customer portfolio of government agencies, defense forces, and commercial entities.

Long-endurance capabilities with a minimal logistical footprint

Thanks to its compact and modular design, Flexrotor is highly transportable and can be operated from a single vehicle or small vessel. It can be fueled, set up and airborne in less than 30 minutes, requiring no special LRE (launch and recovery equipment) and only a 3.7 m × 3.7 m (12 ft × 12 ft) operating area.

Rugged construction & versatile multi-mission utility

Flexrotor is engineered for rugged, multi-mission performance in the world’s most challenging environments. Designed to operate in wind gusts up to 27 knots and tested at extreme temperatures and high altitudes, it delivers reliable performance across land and maritime domains.

With a best-in-class payload mass fraction and endurance among Group 2/3 UAS, Flexrotor offers exceptional operational efficiency—requiring less fuel, generating less noise, and minimizing logistical burden. Its 28cc two-stroke engine runs on either gasoline or heavy fuel, further simplifying supply chain needs.

The aircraft supports seamless plug-and-play integration with a wide range of sensors, including EO/MWIR/LWIR cameras, SIGINT/ELINT systems, AIS, and wide-area search technologies. With a generous 8 kg payload capacity and support for digital turrets and interchangeable sensor packages, Flexrotor is built not only for today’s ISR missions but also to accommodate the advanced payloads of tomorrow.

Flexrotor Features and Specification

Key Features

• VTOL Launch & Recovery in confined 3.7 m × 3.7 m spaces (12 ft x 12 ft) — no runway required
• Autonomous Operation from launch through VTOL and wing-borne phases of flight
• Typical Endurance: 12–14 hours (up to 30+ hours in optimized configurations)
• Payload Agnostic: Supports interchangeable payloads and digital turrets
• Compact: Packs down into 50 kg case; easily fits in a pickup bed or ship deck
• Rapid Assembly: Launch-ready in under 30 minutes
• Efficient: Combines the thrust-borne capability of a helicopter with the wing-borne efficiency of a powered sailplane
• Covert: Inaudible at 500 m
• Engine: 28 cc 2 stroke; gasoline and heavy fuel capable

Mission Applications

Manufacturing & Support

Flexrotor is manufactured at Airbus U.S. facilities in Bingen, Washington, where it is supported by a dedicated team of UAS experts. Backed by Airbus’s global engineering resources and logistics network, the program benefits from robust design, precision manufacturing, and comprehensive lifecycle support to ensure mission readiness.