Elroy Air has expanded Bristow Group’s early-delivery reservations for the Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft to 15 positions, up from five, after adding 10 more slots. The move leaves intact Bristow’s separate pre-order agreement for up to 100 Chaparral aircraft, with the reservations remaining non-binding.
The San Francisco-dateline announcement keeps Bristow among the most visible early backers of Elroy Air’s hybrid-electric cargo platform as the programme advances towards commercial and government logistics applications. Elroy Air has framed the reservations as part of an active demand pipeline that includes uncommitted early delivery positions rather than firm purchase commitments.
The Chaparral is designed as an autonomous cargo aircraft for logistics missions, and Bristow’s larger reservation suggests continued confidence in the system as the companies evaluate future operational uses. No delivery schedule, pricing or deployment timeline was disclosed for the additional positions.