AVIDrone’s Katana heavy-lift unmanned helicopter posted the top scored performance in DARPA’s recently concluded Lift Challenge, carrying a 112.4-pound payload roughly five nautical miles while weighing 29.3 pounds itself. The result produced a payload-to-weight ratio of 3.84-to-1—short of the agency’s four-to-one goal, but the closest any competitor came.

The Canadian company, which has U.S. headquarters in Maryland and focuses on cargo-delivery drones for defense and commercial customers, received the competition’s $1.25 million first prize. DARPA framed the challenge as an effort to advance vertical lift for small unmanned aircraft and overcome what it calls the “heavy-lift bottleneck,” in which multirotor drones generally carry payloads equal to or lighter than their own weight.

A near miss on DARPA’s target

DARPA sought a drone able to lift four times its own weight. AVIDrone did not reach that threshold, but its 3.84-to-1 result established the leading scored mark in the event. In a statement, the company said its first-place finish was the “result of bringing together years of know-how, our proprietary autopilot and flight-control technologies, and decades of experience designing and flying aircraft specifically for heavy cargo lift.”

Phillip “Donna” Smith, the Lift Challenge program manager, described heavy vertical flight as the “next great technological inflection point that is economical for widespread adoption.” He said advances in the capability could affect agriculture, logistics, construction and other sectors.

Other teams and technology awards

Massachusetts-based MTech Operations took second place and $750,000 with a 3.64-to-1 ratio. California-based Xtreme Aerial Concepts placed third, earning $500,000 for a 3.45-to-1 result.

DARPA also recognized several entrants in subjective categories judged by a panel of program managers with aviation expertise. The University of Maryland team received the award for Most Revolutionary Aerodynamic Design; Texas-based Portal Aircraft Company was selected for Most Revolutionary Powertrain Design; and Utah-based DefendTex received the Most Promising Technology award.

DARPA said DefendTex recorded the highest ratio of the competition, 9.63-to-1, but did not complete a scored run. As a result, its result did not displace AVIDrone’s winning performance.

Beyond the prize money

AVIDrone characterized the competition as an “outstanding environment for accelerating new ideas and turning them into real-world applications.” Smith likewise said the event’s value extended beyond prize money and demonstrations, creating a networking venue for inventors, investors and users to identify goals and future projects.

So now, the challenges can get organized and the community that is built can start moving and (try) to solve problems that different organizations have across the United States or even the world. Like we’ve seen in past challenges, the people here oftentimes combine forces and build the next generation of aircraft or whatever the challenge is.

Phillip “Donna” Smith, DARPA Lift Challenge program manager