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Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT)

Special Vtol
Updated:
jucks72
By jucks72
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Autonomous Pod Transport (APT)
Bell
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
www.bellflight.com

The Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) is an autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) multicopter cargo drone being developed for both commercial and military use. The APT has multiple unique features from it’s bi-plane wings, to having vertical thrust modules, having no central fuselage, tail-sitter styled landing gear and having a modular design which allows the aircraft to be easily disassembled and assembled for storage and transportation. The cargo pod is attached to the inside center of the drone’s wings.

To take off, the APT takes off vertically and then tilts in a horizontal position for forward flight, taking advantage of its bi-plane wings furthering the range of the cargo drone. To land, the drone changes from a horizontal position and transitions to vertical flight, then lands using its tail-sitter styled landing gear. Its footprint is small enough allowing the drone to land in fairly small spaces.

There are several versions of the Bell Autonomous Pod Transport under development, the APT 20, the APT 70 and a new military version, which officially has not been named, but might be called the “APT 100”. Bell is stating the APT cargo drone is an excellent choice for transporting small cargo loads for both commercial and military scenarios. The aircraft can be remotely flown but the goal for production models is to have all their drone models fly autonomously, with beyond line of sight and detect and avoid capabilities. The autonomous navigation of the UAV is also supported by the global positioning system (GPS).

APT 20
A Jan. 22, 2018 YouTube video posted by Bell revealed the APT 20 demonstration flight. The APT 20’s maximum speed is 104 mph (167 km/h), a range of 18 miles (11 km), carries a 20 lb (9 kg) payload and is about three feet (0.9 m) tall and five feet (1.5 m) wide.

APT 70
The APT 70’s maximum speed is 127 mph (204 km/h), a range of about 35 miles (56 km), carries a 70 lb (32 kg) payload and is almost six feet tall (1.8 m) and nine feet (2.75 m) wide. The first autonomous flight for the APT 70 was on Aug. 26, 2019 near Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

Bell APT 70 uncrewed aircraft is powered by an electric propulsion system, is autonomous and designed to fly along predetermined routes. The drone has biplane-styled wings with no fuselage and the cargo is attached inside the middle of the wings, and having no fuselage reduces the complexity of the aircraft. At the front end of each wing is a module which includes a four-bladed gimbaled propeller, then the electric motor, batteries, speed controllers and other equipment and the entire unit is called a vertical thrust module. An integrated avionics and sensor suite is embedded within the wings of the drone.

The aircraft has the ability for a quick battery swap reducing turnaround time during flights. The aircraft’s carefully made design allows the drone to take full advantage of VTOL flight, allowing the drone to land in small spaces and winged forward flight and the wings allow the drone to have increased range and speed. The drone has a unique tail-sitter design for take off and landing. When landing, the APT drone transitions from a horizontal position to a vertical position and lands on the back ends of each propeller module. It takes off vertically, in the tail-sitter position, and then transitions to a horizontal position to take advantage of its bi-plane wings.

The APT 70 aircraft features a detachable cargo pod in the center of the aircraft between the wings. The cargo pod is aerodynamically designed to reduce drag during flight. The pod can be modified to perform a wide variety of customer-specific requirements, package delivery, food, water, medical products, disaster relief and the pod can be a temperature controlled cargo pod, for example, for the transportation of blood and plasma.

Bell is focusing on redundancy and reliability of the aircraft and its systems to avoid parachutes which take up space and weight. The drone can be operated using a touch-screen control system requires minimal operational support to get the job done. The cargo aircraft has been designed that one person can disassemble and assemble the aircraft to make it easy to transport by vehicle of aircraft with each individual piece of the drone weighing 57 lbs (26 kg) or less.

APT 70 made its first autonomous flight at Bell’s testing site near Fort Worth, Texas (USA), on Aug. 26, 2019. The aircraft flew with payload for the first time in October 2019. It carried a 27.2kg load during the flight.

Bell also added a few new features for military users, including a remote autonomous payload release. This way, the drone can fly to its destination, release the cargo pod and fly away without the need for anyone having to be there to collect the cargo pod when the aircraft lands. Bell has continued developments of its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) tailsitting eVTOL cargo drone. On Dec. 9, 2020, Bell flew its APT 70 with 110 lb (50 kg) of payload over an 8-mile (12.9 km) route at Bell’s testing site near Fort Worth, Texas.

On Feb. 1, 2021, the company announced that it and Hillwood had demonstrated a point-to-point unmanned aircraft system (UAS) package delivery in North Texas. The APT flew a preprogrammed four-mile route through the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone — flying near interstate I-35W while transitioned in and out of Class D and Class G airspace — demonstrating its future commercial capabilities. Numerous safety precautions were taken for the flight demonstration with a careful route selection and including a visual observer in a chase helicopter to see and avoid other air traffic. The flight demonstration revealed technology gaps for remote beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) landings because radio frequency links can be lost unless more technology is added for this type of situation. Bell noted there are also concerns about possible bandwidth limitations for the live video feeds that remote pilots will need to fly the drone. Vertical Magazine has a detailed article on the lessons learned from this APT 70 demonstration flight.

APT Technology Demonstrator (Bell/ARA Robotics)
On Dec. 11, 2020, the Bell Innovation flight test team at its Mirabel, Quebec, Canada facility conducted the first flight of an alternate configuration of the APT (shown below) in collaboration with ARA Robotics. This platform operates with the same architecture and propulsion system of the APT 70 (and is about the same dimensions) but utilizes a different airframe to evaluated alternative design features like a fixed central pod that favors containerized payloads; side access to payload bays; swept wings and articulated V-tails. The purpose of the project was to explore variations in the design, scalability and the customization of the aircraft, and evaluate changes in performance, autonomy and user interactions.

APT Technology Demonstrator (Bell/ARA Robotics)

APT Technology Demonstrator (Bell/ARA Robotics)

“APT 100”
The official name of the APT drone has not been released by Bell; however, both the APT 20 and APT 70 names reflect the maximum payload weight in pounds the drone can carry and Bell might name the newer military APT drone, the “APT 100”. Bell added the feature of a remote payload release for this eVTOL military drone.

According to an Oct. 14, 2020 Janes article, Bell is developing a new APT model for the military which will carry almost a 100 lb (45 kg) maximum payload, has a cruise speed of 58–81 mph (93-130 km/h), a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h), and a range of 35 miles (56 km). On Dec. 16, 2020, Bell issued a news article which said that on Dec. 9, 2020, the Autonomous Pod Transport flew with a 110 lb(50 kg) payload over an eight mile journey at Bell’s testing site near Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

The new “APT 100″ cargo drone will have similar dimensions as the APT 70, its height will be approximately 5′ 11” (1.8 m) and 9′ (2.75 m) wide. Bell’s intent for the military is to keep the aircraft modular for ease of assembling to disassembling in the field, for storage and for transportation. The “APT 100” will fit into five cases, with the heaviest component no greater than 57 lb (26 kg). Bell stated they work under what they call the two-person rule, that nothing in the design, operation, or the payload is greater than what two people can lift. As of December 2020, the APT flight test program has completed over 300 flights.

APT 100 military model

“APT 100” military model

On March 14, 2023, one of Bell’s Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) cargo drones crashed in a field near Mineral Wells, Texas. The accident was categorized as a “loss of control” accident by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). No injuries resulted from the crash. The cargo drone first flew in 2019.

Future
Bell’s goal is to have the new military APT cargo drone built and at a Technological Readiness Level (TRL) of eight or greater by the end of 2021. Originally developed by NASA, Technology Readiness Levels are based on a rating from one to nine, with nine being the most mature technology including successful real-world operations. Bell reports their goal for 2021 is that the APT will demonstrate several military and commercial operations while simplifying user interfaces and enhancing the aircraft’s autonomous features.

Bell foresees the APT drones being used for both civilian and military logistics and says their drone flies three times faster than a ground vehicle and two times faster than a conventional multicopter UAV. Bell has also stated the APT is a scalable aircraft so more versions could developed in the future, such as cargo drone with a maximum payload weight of 1,000 lb (450 kg). In addition to the APT, Bell has also been engaged in the development of the Bell Nexus 4EX and Bell Nexus 6HX passenger hybrid-electric (and both include an optional all-electric power source ability) passenger Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft.

APT 20

APT 20

APT 70

APT 70

APT 70 (left) and APT 20 (right)

APT 70 (left) and APT 20 (right)

APT 20 Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Autonomous eVTOL cargo drone
  • Piloting: Autonomous
  • Cargo: Cargo only
  • Maximum speed: 104 mph (167 km/h)
  • Range: 18 miles (11 km)
  • Maximum Payload: 20 lb (9 kg)
  • Dimensions: 3 feet (0.9 m) tall, 5 feet (1.5 m) wide
  • Propellers: 4
  • Electric motors: 4
  • Power source: Batteries
  • Wing configuration: Bi-plane wings
  • Tail: Each boom has a tail with small horizontal stabilizers
  • Landing gear: Tail-sitter design. When landing, the APT drone transitions from a horizontal position to a vertical position and lands on the back ends of each propeller boom. It takes off vertically, in the tail-sitter position, and then transitions to a horizontal position to take advantage of its bi-plane wings.

APT 70 Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Autonomous eVTOL cargo drone
  • Piloting: Autonomous
  • Cargo: Cargo only
  • Maximum speed: 127 mph (204 km/h)
  • Range: 35 miles (56 km)
  • Maximum payload: 70 lb (32 kg)
  • Gross weight: 300 lb (136 kg)
  • Payload, Range and Time Traveled examples:
    • One-way with payload: 70 lb (32 kg), 35 miles (56 km), 30 minutes
    • Two-ways with payload: 70 lb (32 kg), 15 miles (24 km), 27 minutes
    • Out with payload, return flight is empty: 70 lb (32 kg), 18 miles (29 km), 32 minutes
    • One-way with payload and extra battery (35 lb): 35 lb (16 kg), 50 miles (80 km), 42 minutes
    • One way without payload and extra batteries (70 lb): 0 lb (0 kg), 65 miles (105 km), 55 minutes
  • Propellers: 4
  • Electric motors: 4
  • Power source: Batteries
  • Wing configuration: Bi-plane wings
  • Tail: Each boom has a conventional tail, with small horizontal stabilizers and rudder
  • Landing gear: Tail-sitter design. When landing, the APT drone transitions from a horizontal position to a vertical position and lands on the back ends of each propeller boom. It takes off vertically, in the tail-sitter position, and then transitions to a horizontal position to take advantage of its bi-plane wings.

APT Technology Demonstrator (Bell/ARA Robotics):

  • Aircraft type: Autonomous scalable eVTOL cargo drone technology demonstrator
  • Piloting: Autonomous
  • Capacity: Cargo only
  • Propellers: 4
  • Electric Motors: 4
  • Power source: Batteries
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Wings: Swept wings
  • Tail: Articulated V-tail
  • Landing gear: Tail-sitter design. When landing, the APT drone transitions from a horizontal position to a vertical position and lands on the back ends of each propeller boom. It takes off vertically, in the tail-sitter position, and then transitions to a horizontal position to take advantage of its bi-plane swept wings.

“APT 100” Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Autonomous eVTOL cargo drone
  • Piloting: Autonomous
  • Cargo: Cargo only
  • Cruise speed: 58–81 mph (93-130 km/h)
  • Maximum speed: 150 mph (241 km/h)
  • Range: 35 miles (56 km)
  • Maximum payload: 110 lb (50 kg)
  • Propellers: 4
  • Electric motors: 4
  • Power source: Batteries 
  • Wing configuration: Bi-plane wings
  • Tail: Each boom has a conventional tail, with small horizontal stabilizers and rudder
  • Landing gear: Tail-sitter design. When landing, the APT drone transitions from a horizontal position to a vertical position and lands on the back ends of each propeller boom. It takes off vertically, in the tail-sitter position, and then transitions to a horizontal position to take advantage of its bi-plane wings.

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