Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC), a Hampton Roads, Virginia-based aeronautical engineering and aircraft manufacturing company, raised a funding round of undisclosed amount.
Backers included The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) via its CIT GAP Funds and the Charlottesville Angel Network.
The company will use the funds to finish development of its Hercules UAS technology and to bring the aircraft into production.
Founded by William J. Fredericks in October 2015 as a technology spin off from the NASA Langley Research Center, Advanced Aircraft Company specializes in vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial systems, that target both the commercial and military markets.
While employed at NASA, Fredericks performed the conceptual design and lead the development of NASA’s Greased Lightning UAV technology, which achieves the aerodynamic efficiency of a conventional fixed wing airplane, while simultaneously achieving VTOL capability. AAC has developed a licensing agreement that allows the company to utilize the NASA technology in order to bring it to market.
In addition to the Greased Lightning, AAC has developed another aircraft, which it will bring to market first, the Hercules unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The Hercules is a multi-rotor UAS powered by electricity generated by a 2-stroke gasoline engine and features number of aerodynamic improvements.
FinSMEs
25/08/2017