VAI Member Spotlight: Ascent AeroSystems, Massachusetts, USA Coming off its recent acquisition by Robinson, the unmanned aerial vehicle company embraces a coaxial design to expand the range of applications for small drones. By Jen Boyer Small drones available on the market for commercial, public, and military applications have been mostly limited to a multicopter design, with the quadcopter being the most popular choice. Ascent AeroSystems is disrupting that paradigm with its coaxial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, the company has developed compact and light yet rugged coaxial UAVs that offer unique operational advantages compared with drones that use the multicopter design. Cofounders Peter Fuchs and brothers Jon and Nate Merigner created Ascent AeroSystems with the goal of manufacturing American-made products that would open up small UAVs to new applications. They started by mapping out the limitations of existing small UAVs, including fragility, bulkiness, sensitivity to weather, performance, and low reliability. Coaxial Design Key to the company’s design is the product’s cylindrical shape and coaxial rotor system. Ascent’s UAVs are versatile, which allows operators to install a variety of payloads, including gimbal and thermal-vision cameras. The drones can also carry an extra battery for further flexibility. Another advantage of the coaxial design is that the UAVs are portable, all-weather, and capable of flying more quickly, farther, more quietly, and longer than their multicopter counterparts. For example, Ascent’s Spirit UAV can reach speeds of more than 60 mph with an endurance of up to 53 minutes. The aircraft can also fly either controlled or autonomously. Now a Robinson Company Robinson Helicopter Co. of Torrance, California, purchased Ascent AeroSystems in April 2024 with the intent of adding Robinson’s FAA-approved aerospace manufacturing capabilities to the UAV company’s capabilities. While Ascent remains a separate UAV company, it is now the only small UAV firm in the United States building to aerospace grade in an FAA-approved manufacturing facility, through Robinson’s support. Currently, Ascent AeroSystems offers two small UAVs—the Spirit, which weighs 4.1 lb. with a 6.5-lb. payload capability, and the larger NX30, which has a 15.3-lb. payload. Both UAVs are portable and are designed to be carried in a small protective case, or, in the case of the Spirit, in a backpack pocket. They can launch from the ground, providing an immediate bird’s-eye view for operators. Range of Applications The company is currently marketing its small UAVs to industrial, public safety, and government operators. The NX30’s applications include security, inspections, incident response, and precision delivery. The drone can also expand the capabilities of law enforcement, firefighting, search-and-rescue, and public safety operators. The UAV’s all-weather operating parameters—paired with its speed, quiet profile, and range—are key features for government operations, including in border security, disaster response and support, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
