Elroy Nabs Manufacturing Deal for Autonomous Chaparral Drone

With support from Kratos, the company aims to churn out hundreds of drones per year.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

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Jack Daleo

Elroy picked Kratos to support high-volume manufacturing of its autonomous, long-range Chaparral cargo drone. [Courtesy: Elroy Air]

Key Takeaways:

Elroy Air has formed an exclusive five-year partnership with defense contractor Kratos for the U.S. manufacturing of its Chaparral autonomous cargo drone.
The collaboration aims for the first production-intent Chaparral aircraft by 2026, followed by a rapid ramp-up to high-rate production.
The Chaparral is a dual-use hybrid-electric VTOL drone designed to carry 300 pounds of cargo over 300 miles, leveraging third-party expertise for faster market entry.
Elroy Air is actively pursuing both defense airworthiness approval and commercial FAA certification, engaging with military customers and participating in the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.

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Autonomous cargo drone developer Elroy Air aims to churn out hundreds of aircraft per year with the help of a new, exclusive partnership.

Elroy on Tuesday announced it selected defense contractor Kratos as the U.S. manufacturing partner for its Chaparral, which is designed to autonomously carry 300 pounds of cargo over 300 miles. Under the five-year agreement, the partners intend to build the first production-intent Chaparral aircraft in 2026 before ramping up to high-rate production.