NASA contracts AAC to build free-swinging tilt-wing prototype
NASA contracted Advanced Aircraft Company to design and build a transition-capable eVTOL prototype whose wings tilt through aerodynamic forces rather than powered actuators.
Evidence notes
- The concept uses freely tilting propeller-mounted wings to transition between hover and cruise.
- Removing wing-tilt actuators is intended to reduce aircraft weight, complexity and failure points.
- AAC founder Bill Fredericks is a named inventor on the NASA-owned patent underlying the prototype.
Company context
Advanced Aircraft Company is a US unmanned-aircraft manufacturer building HAMR hybrid-electric VTOL systems and transition-capable distributed-propulsion prototypes.