MagLev Aero, a Boston-based developer of propulsion for drones and advanced air vehicles, has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for concurrent awards under the agency's Minimum Viable Product and Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative programs, the company said. The funding is non-dilutive.
Under the MVP award, the company said it is funded to build and test a full-scale, flight-relevant propulsion demonstration platform, culminating in a Technology Readiness Level 6 demonstration in a relevant operational environment. The company said the effort is intended to reduce the technical and integration risks that airframers and original equipment manufacturers face in adopting the platform for autonomous drones and crewed aircraft.
The EEI award covers embedding an experienced business leader to help the company navigate federal acquisition frameworks and pursue strategic transition opportunities, according to the company, and is meant to accelerate its defense commercialization and U.S. industrialization strategy.
Ian Randall, co-founder and chief executive, called the two contracts an inflection point for MagLev Aero and said the work is aimed at building a propulsion industrial base for the next generation of American air power. The company said its platform is intended to serve demand for U.S.-manufactured drone propulsion, which it linked to White House "Drone Dominance" priorities, as well as the commercial advanced air mobility market. MagLev Aero said it holds 44 issued patents and is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Material Impact.