Piasecki’s ARES-DV hits milestone with 1st successful tilt-duct VTOL flight

Piasecki Aircraft Corporation marks a major achievement with the first flight of the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES), a tilt-duct vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle.

An optional manned flight module allows ARES to function as an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The system, which has been in development for over a decade, is being designed to resupply and support remote US forces during future conflicts.

ARES’s extremely modular design also allows it to be adapted for a wide range of missions, including electronic warfare, personnel and freight transport, surveillance, and reconnaissance. It can even be used as a platform for kinetic attacks.

According to the US firm, the flight marks the start of Piasecki’s experimental test program, backed by a $37 million Strategic Funding Initiative (STRATFI) from the US Air Force and Army.

“ARES creates a new baseline for VTOL technology applied to heavy-payload, time-critical logistics crucial for dispersed operations,” said Barth Shenk, program manager at Air Force Research Laboratory, in a statement .

Modular VTOL innovation

The ARES is a cutting-edge UAS designed for VTOL missions. It features a flexible design with a core flight module that can be optionally manned and swapped with different mission modules.

ARES features a tilt-duct design with two ducted fans, enabling it to take off vertically and fly horizontally. These fans are positioned on either side of the central fuselage, which has small wings extending outward.

The landing gear consists of four struts, each with a single wheel. This configuration leaves a large space beneath the aircraft for attaching various payload modules.

This modular approach allows ARES to perform a variety of tasks, from command and control (C4I) and intelligence gathering (ISR) to combat and logistical support for small, remote forces.

According to the firm, its compact size makes it ideal for shipboard and remote operations in challenging terrains. By using interchangeable modules, ARES helps reduce the cost and complexity of supporting multiple unmanned aircraft needs with a single platform.

Originally developed by Piasecki Aircraft (PiAC) in partnership with Lockheed Martin under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the ARES is now continuing its development solely under PiAC, which is preparing it for flight demonstrations and operational use.

Innovative flight test

The ARES-DV Flight Module took off from Piasecki’s West Helipad in Essington, Pennsylvania, on September 6 for its inaugural mission.

It hovered there for almost a minute before starting to descend. After landing, the team successfully completed a second one-minute hover while attaching the US Army’s Mobile Multiple Mission Module (M4) to the ARES-DV Flight Module.

According to Piasecki, it demonstrated the system’s triplex fly-by-wire flight control system’s capacity to maintain a stable hover in a variety of configurations and in a dynamic ground environment.

ARES is equipped with Honeywell Aerospace’s Compact Fly-By-Wire system, a lightweight and robust flight control system designed for smaller aircraft .

According to the firm, the advanced system offers precise handling and stability, typically found in larger airliners and fighter jets, enhancing safety and performance, especially in space-limited VTOL operations.

Although ARES-DV was powered by two turbine engines that operated its ducted fans through mechanical linkages, Piasecki told Warzone that future models could offer various propulsion systems based on customer needs.

The hover test flight was funded by an Army SBIR Phase II contract and an US Air Force TACFI SBIR II award. In November 2023, Piasecki received a $37 million multi-year contract from AFWERX, AFRL, and Army MRDC through the STRATFI program to accelerate ARES development and flight testing, along with other advanced VTOL technologies.