Astro and Paterson Composites partner to build autonomous Passenger Drone

Astro Aerospace Ltd. (Lewisville, TX, US) announced June 11 its partnership with carbon composite manufacturer Paterson Composites (Toronto, ON, Canada). Paterson Composites will work with Astro to construct the entire airframe of a passenger drone including the cockpit, frame, and propeller blades.

Astro’s Passenger Drone enables passengers to fly manually or autonomously. The fully-functional prototype includes VTOL capabilities and hosts 16 individual rotors. The drone is designed to reduce aircraft weight and magnetic interference using fiber-optic technology, and the exterior is built with carbon fiber materials.

The collaboration between Astro and Paterson Composites is for the second version of the passenger drone which will available for purchase by the public upon production completion. As part of the partnership Rob Paterson, president and CEO of Paterson Composites, will be joining Astro Design Team as an advisor, along with a group of industrial engineers that will join the development team. 

[Editorial correction: The location of Astro was previously reported in error as Carpinteria, CA, US, which is the location of Astro Aerospace, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. Astro Aerospace Ltd., located in Lewisville, TX, US, is not affiliated with the Northrop Gumman subsidiary.]