Cargo Capable

From its home base in Stittsville, Ont., just west of Ottawa, the SnowGoose unmanned aerial cargo delivery system is making a worldwide impression.

Manufactured by MMIST (Mist Mobility Integrated Systems Technology), the CQ-10 Bravo version of the SnowGoose was on display at CANSEC 2015, the country’s largest military tradeshow organized by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries in Ottawa, Ont. The autogyro-powered CQ-10 Bravo is the latest in MMIST’s comprehensive line of cargo delivery solutions that includes the company’s breakthrough product, the Sherpa—a 10,000-pound capable GPS-guided parachute delivery system currently in use by over 20 military customers around the world.  

“From the Sherpa came the SnowGoose Alpha powered parafoil,” MMIST vice president Alexandre Cote told Skies during CANSEC. “Parafoil-based, the Alpha was air and ground launchable, with an endurance of up to 18 hours. Travelling under parafoil at 35 knots, it had a range of up to 1,000 kilometres.” 

MMIST’s main focus for all its products is cargo delivery. Unlike the small quadcopters that seem to be everywhere these days, the SnowGoose has impressive range and endurance beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS). The CQ-10 Bravo is the newest iteration, extending the SnowGoose’s capability to include an autogyro wingkit and boasting a top airspeed of more than 95 knots and a range of up to 3,000 kilometres. Currently, it can transport up to 400 pounds of cargo, with that number increasing to 900 pounds once a planned four-rotor version is released in the future. 

The United States Office of Naval Research (ONR) is MMIST’s lead customer for the SnowGoose CQ-10 Bravo. For the last four years, the two organizations have been working together to customize the design of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in order to meet ONR requirements. Cote said that although they have one to two years of flight testing still ahead of them, there has been significant international interest from other potential customers as well. 

MMIST made several improvements when designing the Bravo model of the SnowGoose. No longer in need of a launch vehicle, the Bravo can land remotely and take off again in a near-vertical configuration. It can be operated from a portable manned ground station, and a diesel-powered version is available for at-sea missions. Its higher airspeed, when combined with its 18-hour endurance, translates into increased range over the Alpha model. The MMIST team of 50 employees also enhanced the system’s BVLOS capabilities to facilitate radio relay, cargo resupply and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions.

Cote said the Bravo is the only autonomous autogyro with a cargo capability. Its six modular payload bays can be filled with any type of cargo, including cameras and other ISR equipment. Alternatively, they can be filled with fuel to increase the endurance of the SnowGoose for longer missions. The UAV has a multitude of possible uses, including crop dusting, post-disaster on station cell phone/radio relay, or delivering water and food to troops in the field.  

“Our platform supports the warfighter and frees up helicopter resources at a fraction of the cost,” said Cote. “We’re addressing the resupply logistics need and letting soldiers focus on their primary roles.”

The SnowGoose Bravo—along with the Sherpa, the Alpha model and MMIST’s other products, including mission planning software and parachutist navigation systems—are built entirely in Stittsville. The company also provides complete training and post-sales support, with all products capable of functioning independently or together.